


Her Phantom

by GemNika



Series: Her Phantom [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Abuse, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Betrayal, Canon Compliant, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family Loss, Multiple Arcs, Romance, Self-Discovery, Strong Female Characters, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2019-08-06 17:01:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 353,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16391651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemNika/pseuds/GemNika
Summary: Lucy joins Phantom Lord after running away from the Konzern. She's confident, knows what she wants in life, and can't help but enjoy how easy it is to aggravate a certain red-eyed Dragon Slayer. Follow Lucy's struggles in Phantom Lord and the resultant war with Fairy Tail. Will she ever really be accepted and loved? [Currently in Arc 2]





	1. Arc 1: Lucy of Phantom Lord

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on FFnet back in 2014 as the third story I'd ever written. It's still an ongoing story (with a total of 3 arcs planned), so if you're new to the story then you'll see how my writing has changed as the years progressed.

 

Lucy sighed heavily as she trekked through the forest, using a long gnarled walking stick that was similar to the one that Bero, her Celestial magic tutor while she lived with her father, used to poke and prod at the surrounding greenery. As she pushed through yet another thicket of thorny bushes, wincing lightly when they dragged across her creamy thighs and made faint scratches on her skin, Lucy finally saw the bright, cloudless summer sky gleaming above her. She came upon a small clearing just before the town that lay ahead of her, and sat down on the lush green grass to take a small sip of water and rest her weary bones. "Oak Town," she said with a smile. "Looks like I might get a chance to join a guild today."

She had always wanted to join Fairy Tail, ever since she saw an article about their crazy antics in a newspaper that her father hadn't gotten a chance to hide from her, but had decided it would be smarter to stop at each guild along the way from the Heartfilia Konzern to Magnolia—where Fairy Tail was allegedly located—and see if she might prefer to join another guild. She had a good bit of money that she had taken from her father's estate, but she knew it wouldn't last forever. She needed a place to live, and hardly had more than the clothes on her back and the small bag she had been able to take with her. If she didn't like the guild she joined, she could always just move on and go after her dream of joining Fairy Tail anyway. It had already been several months since she left her father's estate, having run away in the middle of the night, but Lucy had spent the majority of that time sight-seeing and spending her nights under the stars; she only spent one night a week in a hotel so she could get a nice hot bath and sleep in a bed for a change, so that she could save as much money as possible until she found a way to make more.

After several minutes of basking in the warm sunlight and light breeze that brushed through her hair, Lucy stood up with renewed determination gleaming in her eyes. She made her way through the town, asking people along the way how to get to the closest guild, Phantom Lord. They didn't exactly have the best reputation when it came to things like being merciful or kind, but they were very well-known for getting the job done no matter what. ' _I might not entirely agree with the rumors of how they do things, but I want to help people. It doesn't matter what guild I'm in, as long as I can use my magic without worrying about being judged for it.'_ Lucy hoped she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb, since she was still trying to get used to the freedom that she had made for herself by running away. Every once in a while her demeanor would revert back to that of an heiress, as if it was her natural state of being, and Lucy had to remind herself that she didn't need to hide who she was any longer.

"It's right around this corner, dear," an elderly woman with a red scarf tied around her head to contain her frizzy gray hair said. "I don't know why such a young and sweet thing like you would be looking for them, but that's where they are."

Lucy smiled warmly down at the woman, clasping her hands together in front of her chest excitedly, and said, "I'm hoping they'll let me join their guild!"

The woman took a small step back, shock clearly written across her face, "W-Well, then. If that's what you think is best, dear child. Please be safe."

Lucy tilted her head to the side in confusion as the older woman made a hasty retreat, and just before she turned the corner, she saw a small magic shop. With a wide and hopeful smile, Lucy walked in, and hearing a jingling, looked up to see a small bell alerting the owner to her entrance. "Hello, sir," Lucy said with a grin, "Do you happen to have any Celestial Spirit keys?"

"Oh, a Celestial mage?" the shopkeeper asked with an intrigued grin, pushing his chin-length auburn hair away from his face to show a pair of brilliant sky-blue eyes and pale skin that was blotted with freckles. "We don't get many of you anymore."

Lucy blushed and nodded, "Yes, my mom was one and gave her keys to me when she passed. I'm hoping to eventually own all of the Zodiac keys! It would be wonderful to have so many friends if I had their keys!" Lucy paused in her rant and blushed a deeper shade of red, smiling sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I tend to ramble when it comes to them."

"What is your name, dear?" he asked.

"Lucy, sir!" she chirped. When the man put a hand across the counter, she immediately grasped it and gave him a firm and confident handshake.

"Malthus. Nice to meet you, Lucy!" he said warmly. "I don't mind the rambling; it's nice to hear someone talking about Spirits like they're more than a possession. An old family friend was a Celestial mage like you, and he felt the same way as you do. He wasn't very powerful, but he treasured all of the keys he had as if they were his family."

Lucy's grin widened and her eyes twinkled with delight. "See? I knew I wasn't the only one!"

Malthus' laugh was light-hearted, and then he glanced around the store to make sure no other customers were inside. Once he assured they were alone, he reached under the counter and pulled out an old wooden box from the bottom of a large stack of papers. He placed it on the counter, putting a finger to his lips to tell Lucy to stay silent, then opened it and watched her jaw drop and her eyes go wide. "He wanted me to give these to someone that would treat them right," he whispered. "I've only got one key that's for sale, but it's not more of a companion Spirit so no one really grabs it when they're in the market for keys."

"Wow," Lucy whispered in awe. There, nestled in the green velvet lining of the wooden box on the counter, were three Zodiac keys: the Maiden, Virgo; the Golden Bull, Taurus; and the Archer, Sagittarius. "Whoever gets these keys would be lucky to have them."

"Then it looks like this is your lucky day, Lucy," Malthus said as he pushed the box towards the young blonde. "Uncle Bero would be happy to know that there's someone like you with his keys. Please take them."

 _'BERO?!'_  Lucy screeched internally, ' _Maybe it's just a coincidence. He never had any keys when he was teaching me.'_  "A-Are you sure? I could buy them from you," she said, looking back up to Malthus with a sweet smile.

"No no, they're a gift."

"Then how much for the key you have for sale?" Lucy asked.

Malthus pulled out the small silver key and said, "For someone like you? 10,000 Jewels."

Lucy smiled at the little silver key and said, "It's a deal." Once she handed him the money, Malthus gave her the three golden keys along with the silver and bid her a good day as she left, putting the keys on her key ring until she had a chance to make contracts with them. Once she was outside of the small magic shop, the day seemed to hold even more promise than before, and Lucy hummed softly while she made her way to the place she hoped would become her new home.

* * *

Gajeel wasn't in the mood to deal with anything that day. His latest mission had been far too simple, with the guild he had been ordered to take out not having a single mage that was capable of withstanding more than a couple of hits from him before collapsing. The pay was decent, and there wasn't anything on the request about letting them live, so he ended up not having to deal with any Rune Knights either. He made his way through town, scowling at the few people that didn't jump out of his way fast enough, and even letting out a low growl to ward off and scare smaller children to tears. ' _Hey, gotta find something to pass the time.'_  What he really wanted, more than anything, was a fight with someone that could handle it and maybe even give him a challenge. It wasn't likely, unless he ran into an S-Class mage from some other guild and could goad them into a sparring match, but the last time he'd done that the piss-ant had run home crying, and he'd been forced to listen to a lecture from Master Jose about 'proper etiquette concerning other guilds' or some other bullshit.

The bustling noises of the streets were starting to grate on his nerves, and the smells wafting from each of the shops he passed wasn't helping. Sure, there was the scent of a bakery or restaurant while they prepared food for their patrons, but his Dragon Slayer abilities also allowed him to smell (and regretfully hear) the guy in the back of that restaurant taking a massive shit. Wholly unpleasant, even if he was just passing through. He made the last turn before he reached the guild, and actually paused for a moment when he found a new scent that seemed to call to him. It smelled like sugar and almonds, sweet and delectable as a whole, but there was some sort of humanistic undertone to it that let him know it was actually a person and not someone's dessert. ' _Damn, that smells good,'_ he thought as he took a deep whiff of the air, filtering out everything else around him to pinpoint where the scent was coming from. It seemed to linger in front of and around the piddly little magic shop, but he was able to tell that it was headed down the road in the direction of the guild. ' _Shit, that'll make it easier to find out who the fuck this is.'_

Gajeel's pace quickened as he got closer to the guild, and finally it was just him and one other person on the street walking towards Phantom Lord. His eyes raked over the voluptuous curves of the blonde in front of him, and he raised a pierced eyebrow while he took in everything he could. A pair of knee-high brown boots covered the lower halves of her slender legs, and his eyes drank in the creamy expanse that was bared before noticing how short her blue pleated skirt was, barely covering her ass and sitting dangerously low on her perfectly flared hips. ' _Gotta be a hooker,'_  he thought with disdain, though he couldn't help but notice how his mouth watered just a little when he saw the small dimples on her bare lower back as her hips swayed with each step, and how small her waist was in comparison to everything else. Her arms were petite, holding no form of muscle whatsoever, but with how dainty her wrists were, Gajeel could instantly picture pinning her to a wall with only one hand to hold them both in place. She had what looked like a black vest on and he could just barely see the size of her chest while she walked as it was mostly blocked by her arms. Long blonde hair blocked his view of her face, but he was able to hear a soft tune being hummed as if the woman didn't have a care in the world along with a faint jingling sound of small bits of metal clanging deliciously against themselves. ' _Sounds like gold and silver... I could go for a little snack.'_

The blonde's steps slowed just as she reached the doors of the guild, and he growled as he got closer, warning her to get the hell out of his way. Regardless of what she looked or smelled like, he wasn't in the mood even for a quick fuck right then. All he wanted to do was get inside and get his hands on some metal so he could ignore everything else around him. She didn't seem to hear him, and instead turned slightly to smile up at the sign for the guild. "Get the fuck outta the way," he sneered as he shouldered past her, knocking her almost completely off her feet—which was a slight surprise that she hadn't actually fallen over.

"Hey, watch where you're going, asshole!" Lucy shouted as the raven-haired man pushed past her and opened the guild doors. The faint noises coming from inside seemed to have been put on mute when the rest of the guild members heard her, and she scowled at the guy's long head of hair when he stopped dead in his tracks.

Gajeel grinned sadistically and slowly turned around to show this chick just who she was messing with. He couldn't smell an ounce of fear wafting from her, only anger and excitement—though he would have preferred some form of arousal, he could tell that the excitement was most likely from being here at the guild. His red eyes bored into her large chocolate brown orbs and he let out a low growl before saying, "What did ya say to me?"

Lucy sneered and stalked toward the man, silently wondering just why he had so many piercings across his eyebrows, nose, chin, ears, and arms. Once she was directly in front of him, Lucy's sneer turned into an entirely innocent smile while she looked up at him. "I said," she answered in a condescending tone, "Watch. Where. You're. Going. Asshole." Lucy had spent enough time away from her father's home to realize that people were willing to walk all over you to get what they wanted, and she refused to stand by and let someone try and intimidate her. ' _This might not be the best first impression for this guild,'_  she thought, ' _But I'm not gonna let this guy off the hook so easily.'_

Gajeel leaned down to put his face right in front of hers, listening to the quiet murmurs of the other guild members while they watched the small blonde standing up to him and bared his pointed teeth in a shark-like grin. "I don't take orders from hookers," he ground out.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not a hooker. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to speak with your guildmaster," Lucy replied before sidestepping around him and walking further into the still silent guild. She kept an ear out for what the crude man was going to do, and felt a sense of pride swelling within her that her heartbeat hadn't gone haywire during that off-putting confrontation.

Gajeel growled and spun on his heel, then grabbed the petite blonde roughly and spun her to face him. She glared defiantly at him, a fire burning in her eyes, but she made no move to say anything else. She wasn't afraid of him, and that was something he couldn't understand. No, instead of fear wafting off her like it should be, there was only anger and annoyance. He wrapped one hand around her throat and lifted her off the ground, laughing when she clawed at his hands as he started constricting her airways. Gajeel caught a glimpse of Master Jose standing upstairs, watching them, so he decided to play nice… for now. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, loud enough for only her to hear him, and said, "Don't mistake this for kindness. If I get a chance, I'll make sure ya regret talking back to me, got it Blondie?"

Even though Lucy couldn't breathe, as soon as the man pulled back to look into her eyes, she saw just how much joy he was getting from treating her like a piece of garbage. She tensed her muscles and swung her right fist as hard as she could at his face, and when he took the bait of her distraction, Lucy's foot shot out to kick him in the stomach with enough force to knock the wind out of him. Sadly, the kick to his apparently well-stacked abs hurt her ankle, but she wasn't going to let  _him_  know that. His grip loosened on her neck, and Lucy was able to pry herself free and fall to her hands and knees on the ground, coughing and sucking in as much air as possible.

 _'Well, **that**  was unexpected,'_ Gajeel thought, ' _Chick's got some power in her legs.'_ Deciding he'd had enough social interactions for the day, Gajeel glowered at the blonde as she slowly rose to her feet, then he glanced up at the second floor where Master Jose was and gave him a brief nod before he turned and stalked past her and went to his table already piled with metal. He roughly sat down on the bench and got to his meal, ignoring everyone else in the room.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at the man as he walked past her, and kept her face neutral to hide her shock and horror when he started eating metal like it was the most normal thing in the world. She turned to face the bar and kept her steps even, although her ankle was already starting to throb and she was sure she had sprained it from kicking him. Once she was at the bar, Lucy smiled kindly at the bartender, and said, "Hey, would it be possible for me to speak with your guildmaster?"

"Why?" the gruff, bald man asked.

"Because I'm interested in joining this guild," Lucy answered, completely undisturbed by his lack of hospitality.

"Why?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Because I'm a mage, and want to join the guild."

"Why?"

She slowly leaned forward, her face hardening with her growing impatience, and glared at the bald barkeep when his eyes landed on her cleavage and never left. "My eyes are up here, you ass!" she shouted. When his gaze flickered back to hers for a moment before returning to her chest, Lucy lost it. "Can I speak to your guildmaster or not?"

"Why?" he asked absently, drooling over the creamy mounds he was getting an eyeful of.

"THAT'S IT!" she shouted, roughly grabbing his face with one hand and pinching his cheek until her nails dug into his flesh, forcing him to meet her gaze. "Stop staring at my tits and go get your goddamn guildmaster or I'm gonna show you a world of pain you little shit!" Lucy watched his face drain of colour, and pushed him away from her with all the force she possessed, then plopped herself down on a barstool while he scrambled to his feet and ran up to the second floor. ' _Honestly, how hard is it to do something so simple?! Maybe it wasn't such a good idea coming to this guild… It looks like I'm the only girl here.'_

Jose watched with amusement as the feisty blonde woman waited for him at the bar. He'd heard the interaction between her and Black Steel Gajeel, and had made his way to the balcony to see what would happen. He was impressed that she hadn't backed down from the Iron Dragon Slayer, but she also seemed to have some form of intelligence since she didn't challenge him directly. She appeared to be tactful, and downright vicious when necessary, but he could tell that she was still very young and  _very_  innocent. ' _She wants to join this guild,'_  he mused, then looked over at Gajeel who was still chomping away on his scrap metal. ' _Gajeel seems to approve.'_ Things could have gone sour for the blonde had she not handled herself the way she did, and apparently fighting against Gajeel even a little bit had garnered some form of respect from the anti-social Slayer. Slowly, Jose made his way down the stairs and stood off to the side of the blonde girl, and that was when he saw her keys. ' _Oh, a Celestial mage… This could be interesting. If she gets enough keys and works hard, she could be more powerful than even the Element Four.'_

Lucy felt a new set of eyes boring into her and slowly turned to see a tall, pale man with long red hair walking towards her from the stairs. He wore a ridiculous stereotypical wizarding hat in purple that had a Phantom Lord emblem on the front, a matching purple cloak with the Ten Wizard Saints crest pinning the collar together, and what looked like bat wings protruding from the back of his cloak. Based on the reactions of those around her, this had to be the guildmaster. Just before he was standing next to her, Lucy stood up from her seat, gave him her usual radiant smile, and bowed slightly. "Hello, Master. My name is Lucy," she said.

"I've been informed you would like to join my guild," Master Jose said with a wicked grin.

Lucy's smile widened and she nodded emphatically. Deciding to elaborate a little more, she said, "I was planning on joining Fairy Tail, but decided that I should check out other guilds first to make sure I was making the right decision."

"I see," Jose said softly while he appraised her yet again. He stood there for a moment, taking in how scantily clad she was, how she somehow still seemed to ooze innocence even with how little she wore, the determination in her eyes while she spoke, and her confidence while her unwavering gaze met his. Even while she stared into his eyes, which was something that most of the members of his guild wouldn't dare to do, he could see that she was both respectful and submissive to his position of authority. He could also tell that she was telling him the truth with her reason for wanting to join his guild—after years of practice, it was extraordinarily difficult to get a lie past him. "Very well, Lucy. Please follow me."

Gajeel watched the blonde girl jump up and down excitedly, her anger at both himself and the idiot behind the bar instantly disappearing while she spoke with Jose and turning into downright giddiness when he led her up the stairs to get her guild mark. ' _Looks like a fuckin' bunny hopping around like that,'_ he thought while he chuckled darkly and took another bite of metal. He took another deep whiff of her scent as she disappeared upstairs, wondering just how she could smell so sweet like that and why it made him want to chase her down right then, but he shook away any wayward thoughts when he heard the pattering of rain outside. Gajeel rolled his eyes and thought, ' _Looks like the Rain Woman's back… Goddamnit, I'm gonna be stuck inside all fucking day to stay dry… This is bullshit.'_

"Um, Master?" Lucy said softly as they made their way to his office.

"Yes?"

"I'd like to apologize. I'm sure I didn't exactly make the best first impression by entering your guild that way and arguing with two members in the span of five minutes," Lucy said sheepishly.

Jose chuckled and shook his head, then put a hand lightly on her shoulder and said, "There is no need to apologize. The members of this guild are ruthless when it comes to sniffing out weaknesses, and your interaction with one of our strongest members has probably saved you quite a bit of hassle."

"S-Strongest… members?" Lucy winced.

"Yes, Gajeel Redfox is one of our five S-Class mages. No one else would dare to stand up to him the way you did," Jose said as he watched her from the corner of his eye. He could see that she was ashamed, uncomfortable, and confused. What struck him as interesting was the triumphant gleam in her eyes as a small smirk graced her lips.

"Well, while I feel bad for acting that way, I guess it can't be helped," Lucy said with a shrug. "Thank you, Master."

After a minute of him searching through his desk while she filled out the required paperwork for the Magic Council's records, Jose found the guild stamp. "Where and what colour, Lucy?" Jose asked while he held the stamp in his hand.

"Hmmm," Lucy hummed then grinned and pointed to her taut, bared stomach between her bountiful chest and navel. "Right here, in dark red." ' _Dark red?'_  she wondered, ' _My favourite colour's pink… Why would I choose that? Oh well, maybe it'll make me seem less like a dumb blonde.'_

Jose watched with wide eyes as Lucy stretched her back and pulled her shirt up just a little bit higher, apparently completely oblivious to how her breasts practically spilled from her top. As quickly as he could manage without seeming like a total pervert, Jose gave her the guild mark in dark red and sent her on her way. He gave her an explanation of job requests, where to find them and who to give the information to—which was the idiot at the bar—and which ones were S-Class (that she would only be able to take if she got an S-Class mage to go with her). After explaining that there was an age-old rivalry between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail, and a few stretched truths about how the Fairies operated, Jose patted her on the back and assured her that she had made the right choice in joining them. He explained that unless a request specifically said that someone had to be brought in alive, she wouldn't be held responsible for their deaths, or the deaths of anyone that interfered with her mission, in the event of 'an accident.' He watched Lucy cringe at the thought of killing someone, and wondered how long it would take her to finally do it and come to terms with it.

Once Lucy left the guildmaster's office, she walked down to the request board but didn't see anything that she was comfortable taking on her own just yet. ' _Maybe I should wait it out a couple of days and get a feel for the guild itself, then I can take a job.'_  Having made her decision, she turned to see the doors of the guild open and a beautiful woman with blue hair in a long blue coat walking inside with a pink umbrella. The woman shook her umbrella out in the entrance, and Lucy saw that it was pouring outside, then closed it and went to silently sit at a table on the second floor. Shrugging off how distant everyone in the guild seemed to be, Lucy went back over to the bar and smiled at the same bald barkeep from before. When he started sweating while looking directly into her eyes, Lucy said, "You know, I never caught your name."

"T-T-Tom," he stuttered, hoping she wasn't going to manhandle him again.

"Well, Tom. I'm Lucy," she said happily. "Are there any training grounds around here?"

"Yeah, but it's occupied right now," Tom said quickly while he glanced at the now-empty table that still had a pile of metal on it and then to a hallway that led out back.

"Oh," Lucy said, "Well, when will it be free?" When Tom didn't answer her, just kept looking over at the hallway, Lucy rolled her eyes and got up. ' _Guess I'll just figure it out myself.'_ She waved to Tom as she walked out and through the hallway, and when she came to a single door at the end of it, Lucy shrugged and opened it to see a vast stadium behind the guildhall. There was a track, training dummies all over the place, several sets of bleachers, a pool, and even some insane looking jungle gym. In the middle of all of it, was a shirtless and heavily muscled man with long black hair that was beating a training dummy senseless. Lucy quietly made her way over to one of the bleachers and watched in awe as his muscles rippled and contracted with each and every hit. She felt a strange warmth spreading low in her belly as the sunlight that was peeking through ominous gray clouds made his sweat-coated skin glisten. Each move he made was perfectly calculated, and the muted grunts of exertion had Lucy's inner author taking furious notes for inspiration later on. His face was hidden the entire time and the piercings on his arms were blurred with the speed of his jabs, however, she found it odd that he wasn't using any of his magic from what she could tell.

Gajeel smirked when he smelled the blonde walking into the training area, and wondered why she was just sitting there. He had decided that he needed to get some of his pent up energy out, so once he'd finished with his meal, he came outside to work on his hand-to-hand skills. Luckily, the Rain Woman was far enough away from the training grounds that her constant gloomy bullshit didn't literally rain on his parade. He hardly got the chance to use his Dragon Slayer magic during a fight, and after having destroyed nearly half of the training grounds while practicing on his roar, Master Jose had told him to work on his magic elsewhere. Once the dummy was completely destroyed, Gajeel sighed and turned to see the blonde waiting patiently while she watched him walk over to her. There was a flicker of surprise that crossed her face before it shut down into a neutral mask, and he completely ignored her while he took large gulps of the water jug he had brought outside with him.

"Hey, I don't mean to bother you," Lucy started, figuring she might as well try and be social with the guy since they were in the same guild now, "But I was wondering when you would be finished."

Gajeel raised one pierced eyebrow at her while he continued guzzling water, then said, "Gonna be a while."

"Oh," Lucy sighed. "Well, will you be taking a break soon? I don't need the grounds for long. Just a few minutes to make some contracts."

"Sure, whatever," Gajeel muttered while he sat down and wiped the sweat from his brow. ' _Make contracts, huh?'_ He watched her get off the bleacher and walk into the middle of the field—his eyes trained on her swaying hips and a part of his brain wished that a breeze would blow past and ruffle her skirt just a little—then take a gold key from the ring on her belt. ' _The fuck is that?'_

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O Spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate! Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!" Lucy chanted, swiping the first golden key through the air. She watched in awe as the ground rumbled beneath her feet and a beautiful pink-haired woman in a maid outfit broke free from the ground with chains dangling from her wrists.

Virgo stood in front of her newest owner and bowed low as she spoke. "How may I serve you, Master?"

"Please, there's no need for that," Lucy said quickly.

Virgo stood up, her face blank, and said, "Punishment?"

"What?! NO!" Lucy screeched. "You don't need to call me Master, Virgo. I'd like for us to be friends though. You can call me anything else, but please… not Master."

 _'What the fuck is this?'_  Gajeel thought while he watched the blonde. There had been a brilliant flash of golden light once that magic circle appeared in front of her key, and then there was a maid bowing in front of her. He listened to the conversation between the two women, utterly confused as to what was going on. ' _Contracts, Master, punishment… What the hell?'_

"Princess, then," Virgo said.

Lucy sighed and quickly arranged Virgo's contract, then dismissed her. Replacing Virgo's key, she pulled out the next golden one. "I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O Spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate! Gate of the Golden Bull, I open thee! Taurus!" The ground rumbled beneath her feet again and a massive bull wearing a pair of dark blue hot pants with an enormous battle-axe strapped to his back appeared, mooing loudly and flexing every muscle he could. "Hello, Taurus. My name's Lucy. Would you like to make a contract with me?" Lucy asked sweetly.

Hearts instantly appeared in Taurus' eyes while he looked at the buxom blonde in front of him. "I'd love to make a contract with you, Luuucy!" he shouted. "I'll protect that beautiful body!"

Now Gajeel had officially moved from confused to flabbergasted, though his face never showed more than boredom. First, the girl has a maid, then the pink-haired chick disappears in a burst of fucking sparkles. Now she's got a huge bull that's hitting on her, and all she was doing was smiling like it wasn't a big deal. ' _What in the mother fuck is going on?!'_  He watched the blonde—' _What was her name again?'_ he thought, ' _Fuck it… She's Bunny Girl. That's what she gets for hopping around like a psycho,'—_ write down a few notes in a small notebook before the bull disappeared in the same glittery mess that the maid had.

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O Spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate! Gate of the Archer, I open thee! Sagittarius!"

 _'Really? A dude in a horse costume…'_  Gajeel rolled his eyes and leaned back while she did the exact same thing with the cosplaying weirdo, and then, yet again, he disappeared with a flash of golden sparkles. As Gajeel stood up, assuming that Bunny Girl was finished with whatever the hell she was doing, and ready to get back to venting out his frustration—and now his utter confusion—he saw her pull a silver key from the key ring at her hip.

Lucy saw the pierced man coming closer, so she said, "This is the last one." She took a deep breath, centering herself as she prepared to summon her little silver key. "I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O Spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate! Gate of Canis Minor, I open thee! Nikora!" Lucy called, summoning the last Spirit she needed to make a contract with. When the small Spirit appeared, looking almost exactly like a snowman even though Lucy knew he was a dog, she squealed excitedly and pulled him into her arms while she jumped up and down.

"Punn punnn!"

"Okay, seriously what the fuck is that?" Gajeel asked once Lucy had talked with the creepy snowman with legs.

Plue, having gained a new name from his Master, hid behind her legs and started shaking and whimpering. "Aw, it's okay Plue!" Lucy turned to glare at the raven-haired man and said, "There's no need to scare him, jackass!"

Gajeel chuckled and leaned down, grinning widely at the little thing. He growled and watched it start shaking uncontrollably, then snapped his jaws in a feigned bite. When it fainted and disappeared with a small puff of smoke, he laughed and said, "I don't know what that was, but it's a fuckin' pussy."

Lucy was burning with unbridled rage at how this guy had mistreated her Spirit, and her fists clenched while she tried to contain herself. She lifted a hand and roughly poked him in the chest, then yelled, "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but that's no way to treat a Celestial Spirit!"

Gajeel sneered at her, growling in warning, and quickly pulled her small hand away from him while his other shot up to clamp around her chin. He took a step closer, taking a deep whiff of her scent and still not smelling any fear from her even when he towered over her. "You've got quite the mouth on ya," he said with a wicked grin, "Wonder what else it can do aside from talk."

Lucy quickly spat in his face, feeling slightly vindicated at the rage that poured from him while her phlegmy saliva trailed slowly down his cheek.

"Too bad I like my bitches to swallow," Gajeel sneered, tightening his grip on her chin.

"Too bad you have to force them," Lucy shot back as she looked into those ruby red eyes with utter disgust. When she tried to lift her other arm to smack him, the man quickly spun her around and pulled her trapped hand up the center of her back until she felt like the shoulder was being dislocated. She fought the bile that rose in her throat when he pressed himself tightly against her back and instead head-butted him as hard as she could.

Gajeel laughed wildly when he didn't move an inch, but felt her wobble unsteadily in his grasp. He wiped the spit from his face and grabbed her blonde locks, jerking her head to the side and stretching her neck out in front of his dangerously sharp teeth. "Lemme give ya a little lesson, Bunny Girl," he said while his lips hovered over her ear and his hot breath danced across her flesh. "Don't fuck with me and you'll live. Got it?"

"I don't even know who you are," she said with venom in her voice while she tried to reorient herself. ' _What's his head made out of, metal?!'_

Gajeel chuckled and tightened his hold on her arm, putting just a little more pressure on the joints to see if she would cry out. "Black Steel Gajeel, Iron Dragon Slayer. I'm being generous here, since Master seems to like ya and it's still your first day. Next time you piss me off, I'll break ya in two."

"Oh, so I got under your skin earlier," Lucy taunted, wincing when he growled and pulled on her arm and hair again, "What's the matter, can't take it when someone talks back to you?" She fought the tremor that wanted to run through her when she heard him let out another growl and his teeth—' _Why are they so sharp?!'_  she screeched internally—started dragging over the skin of her neck like a predator that was toying with its prey. She noticed his teeth felt just like the thorns she had pushed through while she made her way out of the forest earlier that day.

"Ya better watch it," Gajeel seethed. He pulled the hand that was gripping her hair away and held it in front of her face while he transformed one finger into an iron knife, lightly dragging it down her cheek and leaving a faint pink line in its wake. "Learn your place or—"

"Or what, you're going to cut me?" Lucy asked with a derisive snort. "Please, you would have done it already if that's what you were pla—"

Gajeel grinned when he pressed the knife into her more firmly and dragged it across her chest just over her heart, watching as a small rivulet of blood slowly leaked from the wound. He pulled the knife up so she could see her own blood dripping off it, then said, "Don't test me. I won't hesitate to kill you."

Lucy nearly lost her balance when he let her arm go and took a step back, then she turned around to glare at him again. ' _There's no way I could take someone like him in a fist-fight,'_  she thought. Sure, she had been training so that she could live on her own without worrying about being attacked, but she was already feeling pretty drained from summoning three Zodiacs and keeping them out long enough to make their contracts. "You're a fucking asshole, you know that?" she said while she shouldered past him and stormed back inside.

"And you're lucky all I did was cut you a little," Gajeel growled even though she couldn't hear him. He turned back to the training dummies and sighed before he started back up on his hand-to-hand training, thoughts of the feisty blonde running through his head as he pictured her face on the dummies while he pounded them into small splinters.

Lucy found a bathroom in the guild and quickly ran a paper towel under some water, then started to clean the wound Gajeel had left on her chest. There were marks around her wrist and chin where his fingers had pressed into her flesh, and she fought back the angry tears that threatened to well in her eyes. ' _Not here. I won't let anyone see me as a crybaby. Not anymore.'_  She had spent enough of her life crying over every little thing, especially when her father started to ignore her, and then just to try to get attention. She wasn't going to be that weak person, not now that she was free. Lucy finally staunched the blood flow on her chest, noticing that the cut wasn't nearly as bad as she had thought, then turned on the faucet and splashed some water on her face. When she felt the smallest bit refreshed, Lucy gave her reflection the best smile she could muster and took a deep breath, then left the guild completely to go and find herself a place to live. ' _I'm taking a mission tomorrow,'_  she thought, ' _I need to take care of myself and get some space from that Gajeel guy.'_

* * *

Lucy smiled up at the guild doors, holding Plue tightly in her arms before finally dismissing him. She had summoned him after she'd found a decent apartment only a few blocks away, and apologized for the way Gajeel had acted. She said that she didn't know the man at all, but had already had an argument with him, so she would make sure to keep Plue away from the guy until she knew whether or not he could be trusted. Lucy pushed the door to the guild open and walked right up to the bar, taking a seat with a smile on her face. "Hey, Tom," she said happily when the barkeep came from the back room.

"Lucy," he said in response. "Need something?"

"Hmm… Smoothie?"

"Strawberry or blueberry?"

"Ooh, strawberry!" Lucy said excitedly, gaining a small chuckle out of the bald man before he started making her drink. Once it was in front of her, Lucy took a sip and sighed. "Thanks, Tom. Just what I needed." ' _Let's see, I'll need to take a mission. Hopefully I can find something that I'll be able to do on my own, since I still haven't spoken to anyone in this guild yet. I mean, it's all guys except for me and that woman I saw yesterday, and almost all of them have been staring at me like a piece of meat.'_  Lucy really wasn't looking forward to trying to find someone to partner up with if the mission called for it, but she would do what needed to be done for the sake of their job.

Once she was finished, she put the Jewels for her drink down on the bar and smiled at Tom when he promptly came by to take the money and her empty cup, then she went over to the board and looked through the requests. There weren't many for her to choose from that she felt were within her power to complete alone, and they were all relatively low when it came to the reward. The board seemed to be organized by reward amount, with the highest paying jobs at the top, descending to the ones that seemed to have been sitting for quite some time with only one or two thousand Jewels as a reward. Finally, one request caught her eye:

**Please help. Ancient tome lost in mines, needs to be recovered and translated.  
Reward: 50,000 Jewels** **.**

Lucy read the description a few times, then saw that the mission was in the next town over. It shouldn't be too difficult to complete, and she was pretty sure she could translate an ancient text with ease. What was even better was that it would leave her with 10,000 Jewels after her rent was paid, so she would be able to start building her savings back up. After having decided she would do it, Lucy took the mission over to Tom and had it signed off, then made her way to her place to pack for the next few days.

* * *

"Oh, come ON!" Lucy screamed at the mage she was facing off against in the dank, dark mines she had found the book in. Of course, the mission couldn't have been as simple as walking in and picking up the book, then taking it back to translate it. No, there just had to be some sick pervert that kept intentionally cutting her clothes every time he sent out a magic blast, leering at her when more and more of her skin was exposed, that had already found the book and wanted to take the reward for himself. "This is just ridiculous!"

"What's ridiculous is that you're still talking," the blue-haired man said with a sneer. He dodged the attack from the large bull that the blonde woman had summoned, barely missing the blade of the axe as it whizzed by.

Lucy crouched low, not caring if he could see her underwear since her skirt was nearly in tatters as it was. She pulled out the whip she had bought at a shop a few weeks before and quickly snapped it. "Give me the fucking book!" she shouted. She lashed out with her whip, grinning when it caught his torso and a thick stream of blood flowed freely and soaked into his shirt.

"You bitch!" he shouted, dropping the book and holding tightly to his ribs.

"Get him, Taurus!" Lucy yelled while she rushed forward. She lashed out with her whip again to try to push the man further away, but she stopped dead in her tracks when Taurus yelled out in agony.

"Sorry, Luuuucy!" Taurus yelled while he disappeared, holding a wound in his side from a sneak attack that the enemy had used. Of course, Taurus had been slightly distracted by the amount of skin Lucy was currently showing, so maybe it wasn't  _that_  hard to get a hit on him right then.

Lucy's distraction ended up costing her, since the blue-haired man used it to close the distance between them and tackled her to the ground. His hand lifted high and he relentlessly pummelled her with everything he had, laughing wildly as blow after blow landed on her face and torso.

Lucy's vision was beginning to blur as pain shot through her. She was in utter agony as each hit connected with her body. She bucked under the man and was finally able to knock him off her. Once she was on her feet again, Lucy dove to the side when he lunged at her, and rose up on one knee while she summoned Virgo.

"Punishment, Princess?" Virgo asked as she assessed the situation.

"No, Virgo. I need you to make the ground unstable over there," Lucy said while glancing off to the side, "So he'll fall into a pit when I knock him down. Then take that book on the ground to the Spirit World."

Virgo nodded and disappeared underground, quickly digging the pit where Lucy had indicated until there was less than half a foot of earth between herself and the surface. Once her task was complete, Virgo grabbed the book and disappeared back to the Spirit World, telling Lucy that everything was ready.

Lucy had been dodging the man's attacks for a few minutes while she tried to buy time for Virgo, and when she felt Virgo's key warming up, she lashed out at him with her whip to start moving him closer to where the pit was. She winced and grunted in pain when he sent a volley of black and red magic blasts at her, each of them slicing into her flesh and causing a deep burn to spread through her. Still, she didn't relent in her own attacks, and when he was almost in place she shored up the last of her strength and lashed out. With her aim true, Lucy watched with some small bit of sadistic pleasure as her whip connected with his face and knocked him to the ground. The force of his fall caused the unstable ground to give way beneath him, and she slowly walked over to peer down at the now unconscious mage with several bones protruding at odd angles from his arms and one of his legs, and a large pool of blood slowly gathering on the floor of the pit from a deeper gash in his forehead. She cringed when she realized that he probably wouldn't live much longer, but there wasn't a thing she could do.

Lucy was overwhelmed with guilt as she slowly and carefully made her way out of the mine, feeling utterly disgusting every time the sting of dirt caused more pain to radiate through her injuries. She was walking away from someone that needed help, and she was going to let him die. It was her fault that he was in that pit. It was her fault that he'd hit his head and broke several bones in his body. At the same time, there was only so much she could do when it came down to it: he was her enemy, and she was on a mission. It was her job to bring this book back to the client, and Master Jose had made it very clear that conflicting emotions in situations like these needed to be cast aside for the sake of the guild's reputation. She had to finish the job, no matter what; other people's lives were inconsequential if they opposed her. That was the Phantom Lord way.

It took an hour to get from the mine back to the client's house, and she ignored the frightened stares of the man and his servants when they took in her tattered clothes, bruised and bloodied body, and the way she carefully limped over to the desk they directed her to. Once she was sitting down, Lucy felt a small pull on her magic, and Virgo appeared with the book in her hands.

"Should I bandage your wounds, Princess?" Virgo asked, her voice showing the barest hint of her worry for her Master.

"Later, Virgo. I want to finish this job and turn it in at the guild. I'll summon you when I'm home. Thank you," Lucy said with a pained smile as she started flipping through the pages of the book. It took her twelve hours of nonstop translating to finally finish. She handed the pages she'd written to the client after he gave her the reward, not willing to risk getting screwed over in the event that he would refuse to pay her once he had what he wanted. She waved off his offer of giving her a place to stay for the night, since it was already nearing five in the morning and she hadn't slept, and started making her way back to the guild.

By the time she got back to Oak Town, it was nearing noon and Lucy was practically dead on her feet with exhaustion. She was covered in cuts and deep blackened bruises; her breath was laboured with a sharp pain piercing her side with every inhale, and she felt absolutely wretched when she realized just how much dirt was caked on her. She took a look at her clothes, unable to really find it in her to care about what she looked like but still curious to see how much damage her wardrobe had taken, and winced. Her light blue tank top was being held up by only the barest remnants of one strap, the majority of it and her bra beneath haven been disintegrated. The bottoms of her breasts felt a chill as a small wind whipped past her, and that was when Lucy realized that the only form of decency she had right then was that her nipples were covered. Her khaki mini-skirt hadn't fared much better, but at least her panties had made it through unscathed—most likely because they were hardly more than a thin triangle of lacy material. The belt that held her keys and whip was fine, with only dirt and a few light singe marks covering it, and it helped to hold up the tattered remains of her skirt that was hanging in loose strips over her most intimate of places. The last block on her walk to the guild had Lucy sighing in relief when dark storm clouds rolled over the sky, blotting out the stifling summer heat and letting a torrent of rain down on top of her. "Thank you," she said wearily to the sky. "I've never been happier to see rain in my whole life."

It took everything in her to pry open the doors to the guild, and she ignored the lecherous catcalls of her guild mates while she trudged up to the bar. She checked in with Tom, recounting her mission with as little detail as possible, then sat on a bar stool while he made her a strawberry smoothie. ' _I haven't eaten since yesterday,'_  she realized. ' _I'll just have a smoothie here to get a little more energy, then eat after Virgo bandages me up.'_

"Ya look like shit," Gajeel laughed from his place on the second floor.

"At least I can clean up," Lucy grumbled at him with a sneer. "What's your excuse?" She was  _so_  not in the mood to deal with him right now.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her, then dropped from the balcony to glare at her. He'd caught her scent as she got closer to the guild, even through the rain that Juvia brought with her everywhere she went, and had kept an eye on the doors to see with a small amount of interest how her first mission went. Needless to say he was surprised that she had come to this shithole of a guild at all with the way she looked—her clothes practically torn to shreds and leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination, cuts and bruises all over her body, and what he could only assume was dirt dripping down her form from head to toe in small muddy rivers from the rain—and Gajeel couldn't help but want to take a jab at her for it. Chicks loved making sure they looked good, and maybe he could get a rise out of her just for some entertainment. ' _Maybe I can make her cry,'_  he thought while a dark grin spread across his face. "Figured some prissy bitch like you would have been able to handle a mission," he retorted. "What's the matter, couldn't cut it?"

"I don't know," Lucy said with a sigh, turning her attention to Gajeel and returning his glare with a rivalling degree of hatred. "Why don't you ask the guy I left in the mine? If you're fast enough, he might still be alive when you get there."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her. That was definitely  _not_  the response he was expecting, but he didn't want to give up so easily. "Can't believe you left someone to die like that," he said softly while he leaned into her. "It must just eat you up inside, looking at his broken body and knowing it's all your fault. Wonder if he had a family that he was trying to feed, maybe that's why he was doing it."

"He got what he deserved," Lucy spat, turning her face until her nose was almost touching Gajeel's, her breath mixing with his while her rage started to seep into her veins. " _No one_  attacks my Spirits and gets away with it. He was in my way, and I had a job to do." She turned back to her smoothie and grumbled, "Besides, he's the dumbass that fell into the trap I set up. If he'd listened to what I told Virgo, he would have known that I had her dig under the ground to weaken it so that when I pushed him over he'd fall into the pit…"

"If it was so easy then why are you fucked up?" Gajeel asked with a derisive snort.

"Because that son-of-a-bitch kept intentionally slashing at my clothes." She paused when she saw Gajeel taking in just how she looked and rolled her eyes while she drank her smoothie. "Men, you're all the same, 'Oh look, boobs!'"

"Tch, I don't give a fuck if you're walking around here naked," Gajeel growled, "I don't go for skanks."

"Well, I don't go for needle-dicked bastards that overcompensate, so I guess we're both in luck," Lucy said while she gave Gajeel a pointed look, smirking when he bared his teeth at her. Once her smoothie was done, Lucy motioned for Tom and handed her money to him before he walked away with the empty glass, then she turned and slowly got off the barstool, unintentionally brushing her breasts against Gajeel's toned stomach. "It's been fun, maybe next time you'll actually be able to insult me instead of whatever that shit was."

Gajeel growled low in his throat, the sound echoing off the barren walls of the guild, as he watched Bunny Girl leave with a distinct stiffness to her gait and a limp. It had taken everything in him to hold back from punching her right then, but Master Jose had been watching from the balcony and Gajeel knew that he didn't want to hear  _another_  lecture about beating up female guild members. When he heard one of the men in the back of the guild snickering about what happened, Gajeel took long strides to reach the little shit and dragged him outside by his collar so he could beat some sense into  _someone_.

* * *

"Gajeel," Jose called out in the morning from the balcony, his voice just loud enough for the Dragon Slayer to hear. When gleaming and dangerous red eyes shot up to him, Jose motioned for the raven-haired mage to come up the stairs. "We need to talk."

Gajeel sneered and took another bite of his metal before he stood up and stalked up the stairs. He walked silently until he reached Master Jose's office, then stood in front of the man's desk with his arms crossed over his chest.

"It seems you've taken a liking to our new Celestial mage," Jose mused as he leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together. When Gajeel snorted and rolled his eyes, Jose continued. "There's no point in denying it since you still haven't beaten her to a pulp for how she talks to you. Juvia informs me that she was out in the training grounds with you and came back with a cut on her first day here?"

"That Rain Woman needs to keep her goddamn eyes on her own business," Gajeel muttered. ' _A Celestial mage, huh? So that's what she was doing—making contracts with new Spirits.'_  "What do ya want?"

"I want you to keep an eye on our newest member," Jose said. "She's still wet behind the ears, and needs someone to train her properly."

"You can't be fucking serious," Gajeel growled, "I ain't a babysitter."

Jose scowled and leaned forward, pushing a paper across his desk for Gajeel to read. "No, but her magic can become extraordinarily powerful if properly honed.  _You_  are capable of doing just that. If not to increase the power of our guild, then consider it as a means of venting your frustrations: you'll have someone to beat up while she's in training." He paused while Gajeel leaned forward and read over the paper. "Don't kill her, don't let her get killed. She's very useful, indeed."

Gajeel stood there and waited for Jose to continue, wondering why the Master had showed him Bunny Girl's file. ' _Lucy Heartfilia. Why does that sound familiar?'_  When Jose said no more, he asked, "Useful how?"

"All in due time, Gajeel. Now, why don't you two go on a mission and get better acquainted?" Jose said with a sickly sweet smile. "Gain her trust. Make sure she's loyal to our guild and ours alone. We'll need her power in the future."

"I'm sure she's doing just fine," Gajeel grunted. "She left a guy for dead on her first mission."

Jose smiled and nodded. He remembered hearing about her first mission a few days after she had returned when he had called her into his office to find out why the client was making sure she was alright. She had apparently left them with a bittersweet taste in their mouths: while she'd accomplished the goal, both finding the tome and translating it in record time, she had also returned to their home practically naked because she didn't try to clean herself up before heading back. Jose liked her determination to finish the job, but he'd had to tell her that her appearance to the clients was just as important. Being bruised and cut up was one thing, but not changing her clothes and at least attempting at being presentable made the guild look bad. In the three months since Lucy had joined, Jose could see her potential just waiting to be fulfilled, and he was ecstatic that she took to the ways of his guild with no questions. She was a fast learner, and instantly molded herself to the rules he gave her or any corrections he made to the way she handled herself. "While that is true, she also comes back to the guild nearly unconscious from every mission she goes on. Lucy gets results, but she's far too weak to represent our guild in this fashion."

"So kick her ass to the curb!"

Jose glowered at Gajeel and shook his head slowly. "Train her and make her more powerful. You're the only one she even tolerates a conversation with anyway, not that your constant bickering could even be considered a conversation by normal standards."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow in confusion but otherwise said nothing.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Jose chuckled. "Last week one of the men tried to hit on her before she left on a mission, and she ended up breaking his jaw when she kicked him."

"I ain't gonna hit on her. Dumb blondes aren't really my style," Gajeel retorted. ' _How in the hell did we get into this conversation to begin with?!'_

"True, but you actually argue with her instead of ignoring her or beating her senseless."

"That's 'cos ya kept hounding me about beating up the chicks in the guild."

Jose rolled his eyes, then stood up and crossed his own arms while his magic leaked from him. "Gajeel, this is an order. You will train her, and make sure her loyalties lie with us. Now go take her on a mission and find out what needs work. I don't want to see either of you for at least a month."

Gajeel sneered, letting out a small growl as he turned around and stalked out of the office. He was loyal to his guild and definitely loyal to Jose for taking him in after Metallicana left, but that didn't mean he was going to jump for joy when he was ordered to act as a blonde bimbo's babysitter. He went over to the S-Class mission board and scanned through everything there. Finally, he settled on some town that was plagued with monsters and paid a million Jewels. It was something he could easily do on his own, so the addition of Bunny Girl wouldn't hinder him from getting the job done. If anything, he could see just what she was capable of first. If Jose wanted her to be trained, Gajeel was going to train her—he didn't like it, but he would do it on Master's orders.

* * *

Gajeel had already gotten the mission signed off on, with both his and the blonde's names assigned to it. The idiotic barkeep had nearly choked on his own spit when he heard that Gajeel was taking someone on a mission with him, and the guy's eyes nearly bugged out when he said it was the blonde. Now, Gajeel was leaning against the railing of the second floor balcony, intently watching her while she drank down a strawberry smoothie. Her outfit was different today; somehow more revealing than the day before, with a white off-the-shoulder peasant top that reached just under her breasts and had a small red rose pattern running across the top hem, a black mini-skirt, and black ankle-high combat boots. To the untrained eye, Bunny Girl was oblivious to everything around her, but Gajeel noticed a fair amount of tension in her that showed she was ready to spring into action should the need arise; she was aware of everything around her. When her eyes seemed to glaze over, he could see an almost imperceptible shift of her head while she listened in on someone else's conversation. When her eyes focused again, they would quickly scan the room before settling on her drink.

Gajeel's brow furrowed when he saw her starting to mouth something, tapping her fingers lightly on the warped wood of the bar. As he focused on her plump lips, he could finally make out what she was silently saying, "Five, four, three, two, one.' A fight broke out in the far corner of the room, and Gajeel watched her sit utterly still with a smug smirk on her face while chairs roughly scraped across the floor and glass shattered, the noises only overshadowed by the shocked yells coming from some other guild members. That look let him know she had heard the argument two of the men were having, and suddenly everything made sense. Bunny Girl heard the stirrings of their argument and focused in on it, once she had heard enough she took a quick survey of her surroundings, then started counting down until the fight broke out. She didn't flinch at all when a glass mug shattered while it hit the bar right next to her, and it was almost as if there was nothing that could come close to touching her.

Lucy hummed softly, tuning out the raucous yells of the men that were fighting while keeping her ear trained for anything that might come her way. She'd felt the pair of blood red eyes on her from the moment she stepped in the guild, but Lucy just ignored them. She wasn't going to stoop to trying to get back at him for his recent jabs at her, and decided the best thing to do was act like he didn't exist. It didn't take long for her to realize there was a presence behind her, and Lucy slowly turned around to look up into those same red eyes that had practically been boring a hole right through her a few moments ago. "Yes?" she asked, letting him see just how distasteful she found his presence.

"We're taking a mission," Gajeel grunted, "Master's orders."

"Me… and you," Lucy snorted, rolling her eyes before she turned back to her drink. "Yeah, right."

"No, Bunny Girl… You, Santa Claus, and the fucking Tooth Fairy," Gajeel retorted. "Get your shit and meet me outside in an hour. We'll be gone for a month."

"But—"

"No arguments," Gajeel growled, "Master's orders. You do what he says, regardless of whether ya like it. Got it?"

Lucy sighed and nodded. Gajeel had a point. She knew that he would never willingly partner with her for a mission, so it had to be on Master Jose's orders that they were working together. The only question was why he wanted them to work together in the first place. "Where's the mission at?"

"Waas Forest. We're cutting through the mountains. Now shut the fuck up and get your shit," Gajeel growled, rolling his eyes at all her pesky questions. Turning on his heel, Gajeel left the guild to head to his place and get what he needed. It took an hour to make the trek to his meager apartment, gather his belongings, and get back to the guild. Once he rounded the corner, he was surprised to see the blonde leaning against the wall outside of the guild with no suitcase or bag, and sucking on a lollipop while she held onto the weird snowman Spirit who had a lollipop of his own. ' _Shit, her mouth looks good sucking on that…'_  He had definitely taken notice of her body the past few months, but every time she opened her mouth, all he wanted to do what seal it shut with an iron trap. There was no way he could get past that shitty attitude of hers long enough to fuck her senseless, so Gajeel didn't even entertain the thought while he studiously ignored the way her cheeks hollowed out and how her tongue flattened over the red ball of the lollipop before swirling around and popping it back into her mouth. Nope, he ignored every bit of it.

Lucy looked up and saw Gajeel coming closer, so she said goodbye to Plue and turned to look at the grumpy Slayer. "Ready, Metalface?" she asked around the cherry lollipop.

"Where's yer shit?" Gajeel asked when he was in front of her.

Lucy pulled the lollipop out of her mouth with a light pop, and smiled. ' _I should try to at least get along with him,'_  she thought with a sigh. ' _We're going to be stuck with each other for a month, after all.'_ "Virgo can hold items for me in the Spirit World, so she's holding onto my stuff until I need it." She paused for a moment, then said, "I can have her hold onto your stuff too, if you want."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her, seemingly appraising her statement. Not having to carry a month's worth of supplies would be useful, especially when it came to trekking through the mountains, but he didn't trust anyone to begin with. There was no guarantee he'd get his shit back, and he didn't know what to make of the girl in front of him. The first time they met, she had yelled at him, wasn't afraid of him in the slightest, and actually landed a solid kick to his gut. Then in the training grounds, she was polite and almost shy until after her Spirit disappeared, that was when she became fiery again—instantly going on the offense while she berated him, even going so far as to spit on him and throw in a measly hit to his forehead with her own head. It had been three whole months of her flip-flopping between being civil one minute and a downright bitch from hell the next. It seemed that now she was back to being nice. "Whatever," he grumbled, deciding that he was going to have to play nice as well to follow Jose's orders and get her to trust him. ' _This is gonna be a long fucking month… Why do I have to do this shit?'_

Lucy smiled warmly at Gajeel, then pulled out Virgo's key and quickly summoned her.

"Punishment, Princess?" Virgo asked with a bow.

"No, no punishment. Could you please hold onto Gajeel's belongings until he needs them later on?" Lucy asked hopefully.

"Of course. Will that be all, Princess?" Virgo said while she put a shackled hand out to take Gajeel's bag. As soon as Lucy said she didn't need anything else, Virgo bowed again and disappeared with the Iron Dragon Slayer's bag.

Gajeel watched the short interaction between Bunny Girl and her Spirit in silence.

"Well, lead the way. I have no clue how to get to the mountains from here," Lucy said.

"Whatever, Bunny Girl."

Lucy huffed as she walked next to Gajeel. "Seriously, you're  _still_  calling me that?"

"Stop jumping around like a cracked out rabbit that's jonesing for a fix and I'll stop calling ya that," Gajeel answered.

"I do  _not_  do that. Clearly you need to get your eyes checked."

Gajeel glanced over at Lucy then smirked. ' _Time to start fucking with her.'_ "Don't need 'em checked, I can see the flower pattern on your bra from here."

Lucy rolled her eyes and pulled the lollipop from her mouth then said, "Stop staring at my tits you perv."

"Stop flaunting 'em for everyone to see. Trust me; your tits do absolutely nothing for me."

"Probably because you'd rather get fucked in the ass, you big ol' sewer grate," Lucy grumbled, her forced good mood deflating and giving way to her intense irritation that always seemed to surface around Gajeel.

"Did you just call me gay?"

"No, I  _called_  you a sewer grate," Lucy answered haughtily, pointing her red lollipop at him, "I  _insinuated_ that you were a bottom, a catcher, a pole smoker. You know… You like to bite the pillow, have your peanut butter stirred, and your favourite hobby is letting guys get to fifth base with you."

"Better watch that mouth, Bunny Girl," Gajeel growled in agitation, a migraine starting to form already, "I might just have to teach ya a lesson."

"Pfft, please," Lucy snorted, "I haven't found a guy yet that can even come close to pleasing me. I doubt you're any different."

"Hotdog down a hallway, huh?" Gajeel said with a smirk, "Probably can't feel a thing since your shit's just flappin' in the wind."

"I wouldn't fuck you for practice."

"I think I hear an echo… close your legs and try again."

"Eat a dick."

"Hey, not my fault you're a cum dumpster."

"You're just mad that you're a two-pump chump."

"Cum-guzzling gutter slut."

"Man, I bet you were up  _all_  night working on that one."

"I'd slap you but I don't want slut on my hands."

"I'm not saying I hate you, but if you were on fire I'd pull out the marshmallows."

"Go make me a sandwich."

"I don't make cock-meat sandwiches," Lucy shot back. "That's your forte."

"I'm so close to donkey punching you right now," Gajeel growled.

"Since when are you into donkeys?! Nasty bitch," Lucy taunted. She could tell that she was walking a very thin line with Gajeel, but she honestly couldn't help herself. The only enjoyment she got out of her days was while she was either working on her novel or trying to piss of the ornery Dragon Slayer. "Remind me to never take you to a petting zoo."

Gajeel snarled at Lucy, scaring the people walking by them then picked up his pace. ' _Don't kill her, don't kill her, don't kill her.'_ He repeated it like a mantra, again and again until he had completely drowned out anything she was trying to say while he stalked towards the forest that led to the mountains.

After several hours of walking in complete silence, Lucy's good mood started to return. She wasn't really enjoying how fast she had to walk to keep up with Gajeel, but the leaves were just beginning to turn into the most beautiful shades of orange and red as autumn had rolled in not a week prior, and the light breeze that whipped through her hair had her sighing contentedly. Lucy glanced over at the man she was taking a mission with, and for the first time in a long while found herself appreciating just how strong his jaw was, how the harsh angles of his face actually added to his attractiveness and intimidating presence, and the way the piercings she could see in his profile glinted in the speckled light from the trees above them. It was just too bad he was a raging asshole every time his mouth opened.

"The fuck you lookin' at?" Gajeel growled, never taking his eyes away from the path they were walking on. ' _This month **can't**  be over soon enough. I'm gonna kill her if she starts that shit up again.'_

"Just wondering why Master sent us on a mission together," Lucy said while she turned to look back at the path. "It's not like you and I are the best of friends."

"Says I'm supposed to train you," Gajeel answered.

"Train me? Why?"

"Because he's tired of you making us look like a bunch of pussies when ya get your ass kicked on a mission."

Lucy frowned and stayed silent for a minute, then said, "I thought I was doing pretty well… I always get the job done."

Gajeel snorted and said, "Yeah, but you're weak as hell. He says I'm supposed to train you and we can't come back for at least a month."

Lucy rolled her eyes and sighed. "Why not someone else. You know, someone I can actually  _stand_  to be around?"

Gajeel shrugged. "Apparently I'm the one he wants to do it." He glanced at her and grinned darkly while he added, "Plus, I get to kick your ass with his permission while you're in training."

"Greeeeaaat," Lucy said sarcastically. "So, I'm assuming our conversation earlier was just some foreplay then? Had to make sure I pissed you off enough so you can kill me when no one will hear my screams?" Lucy crossed her arms under her chest, completely unaware of how much she pushed her breasts together or the way that Gajeel's mouth instinctually watered when he saw it, then grumbled, "Fucking sadist."

"I'm under strict orders  _not_  to kill you," Gajeel answered while he tore his gaze away from her chest, "Be glad. I'd do it in a fuckin' heartbeat."

The pair stopped long enough for Lucy to summon Virgo so she could give them something to eat for lunch, and then they continued walking while they ate in complete silence. "How long will it be until we get to the mountains?" Lucy asked as she finished the last bite of her sandwich.

"Should be there by nightfall," Gajeel said gruffly. "We'll camp at the base for the night then start back up in the morning."

Lucy nodded, then asked, "How long will it take to get through the mountains?"

Gajeel rolled his eyes and said, "A week, maybe more. Depends on how much ya slow me down."

Lucy sighed. "So, when does my training start?"

Gajeel stopped walking completely and glared at her while she turned around. "Right now. We're gonna work on your shutting yer goddamn trap for more than five seconds. Every time you make a peep, you'll have extra exercises added to your workout."

"Workout?" Lucy asked.

"That's a mile of nonstop running," Gajeel said with a wicked grin. "You need to work out, otherwise your stamina, strength, and dexterity will be shit—pretty much like they are now. Then there's your magic…"

"Watch what you say about my Spirits, you sack of shit," Lucy warned, her eyes glinting with malice.

"Now you get to run two miles carrying fifty pounds of my iron," Gajeel retorted as they started walking again. "You need to meditate at least an hour every day to work on expanding your magic."

Lucy sighed and nodded, finally giving up on fighting with him just so she wouldn't have to deal with more crap. If Master Jose wanted her to get stronger because she was shaming the guild, then she would do it. She didn't understand why he wanted  _Gajeel_  of all people to train her, but there wasn't anything that could be done about it now. ' _This is gonna be a **really**  long month,'_ she thought grimly.


	2. Arc 1: The Mountains

 

Gajeel sighed in relief when they finally reached the base of the mountains. Normally he would have thrown his pack on the ground and collapsed in a heap from exhaustion, especially with how the universe had decided to throw the most intense heat wave their way—most likely just to see if the surface of Earthland could get hot enough to melt even his iron. Since he didn't have his pack with him, Gajeel sat down in the only shaded area provided by a wispy little tree and ripped his shirt off of him to wipe away his sweat, then leaned his head back against the bark and closed his eyes. The last few hours of the trek had left him completely drained, but luckily the little blonde with him had finally figured out how to stay quiet so he didn't have to hear her grating voice. He tuned everything out while he tried to absorb as much of the relief the insignificant shade provided him, so when he opened his eyes again they took in their surroundings and honed in on one sight in particular.

 _You've gotta be kidding me,_  Gajeel thought while he stared at the very tantalizing sight in front of him. Lucy was on her hands and knees a few yards in front of him and facing the opposite direction while she hammered a stake into the ground for a tent. The black mini-skirt he'd been avoiding earlier was doing absolutely nothing to hide her most intimate of areas while she was bent like that, and it did even less when her body swayed with each swing of the hammer. His jaw dropped open slightly when she huffed while she almost fell over, then spread her legs wider so she had more balance.  _Who wears shit like that while on a mission?!,_  he absently thought while his eyes trained in on the small slip of bright red lace covering her sex and disappearing between those far-too-tempting cheeks of her rear. She sat back on her heels, keeping her legs spread wide, and wiped the sweat from her brow. After another deep breath, where he saw the luckiest little droplet of sweat sliding down her spine, she turned to the side to look at the other corner of the tent.

Gajeel didn't dare to move, not even to adjust his pants when they got tighter around his awakening arousal, when he saw the last stake sitting propped between her pink plump lips and clenched between her teeth. She clenched the hammer in her hand, and single-mindedly crawled over to the final corner of the tent. Gajeel didn't know if she was doing it on purpose—the way her hips swayed with each movement, how her back arched, or how she paused mid-crawl to sit back up and tie her hair into a high and sloppy ponytail before returning to her previous activity—or if the blonde he was travelling with was completely oblivious to how she looked. Maybe she had forgotten he was even there in the first place.

"Come on, you dumb son-of-a-bitch," Lucy grumbled while she tried to force the tip of the last stake into the ground. She was meeting much more resistance than she should be, so Lucy propped herself up on her knees and used both hands to bear down on it with short and powerful bursts; all to no avail. With a final grunt, she picked the stake back up and sat back on her knees only to drop it unceremoniously onto the ground beside her and hear an unnerving clank of metal on stone.  _No,_  she thought,  _Please don't tell me I put it too close to the mountain!_  Lucy pushed the moss on the ground away and sighed when she saw the impenetrable stone of the mountain leading right up to the final corner of the tent. "Oh, you've gotta be  _fucking_  kidding me!" she shouted. "Really, mountain?! Right here? Right—" Lucy picked the stake up and stabbed the stone repeatedly while she continued, " _Fucking_  HERE?! You're a sick bastard, mountain… You know that?! A sick, twisted bastard!"

Gajeel had no words for her reaction to her mistake. She kept hitting the ground with the stake and berating a damn  _rock_  for its existence, then screamed louder than anyone should be allowed to while she threw the unoffending piece of metal deep into the woods.

"It's too hot for this," Lucy whined, plopping roughly down on her butt and pulling the top hem of her shirt away from her body to try and blow some form of cooler air between her breasts. Her father would probably have a coronary if he saw her doing something so crude, but it was just one more reason she was glad she had run away. She sat in silence, stewing over her unfortunate fate, when a breeze brushed by and only brought hotter air with it. "ARRRRRGH!" Lucy screeched, rushing over to her bag and pulling out a bathing suit she used for when she needed to bathe in the wilderness—just in case someone would happen by, she wouldn't be caught naked—and ripped her shirt off over her head and popped the clasp on her bra in a matter of seconds. She tied the bathing suit top then pulled off her skirt and panties, throwing them into a heap on the ground with her other clothes, and pulled the bottoms up. Once clothed, Lucy bent down and grabbed her belt with her keys and whip, and fastened it around her hips just in case she needed them. Normally she would have taken her boots off as well, but she didn't want to hurt herself while she kept trying to make camp.

Gajeel swore he was having a dream right then. While he hadn't gotten a view of much more than her completely bared back, the side of one breast, and her bare ass while she changed, it was enough to have him believing that this wasn't real. The blonde's body was too perfect, her skin only marred by a few small light scars that were clearly from her missions over the past three months. Everything he had noticed the first time he saw her was stripped bare right in front of him, and her slightly tanned skin was almost glowing while sweat continued to pour down her body.  _She has to have forgotten I'm here,_  he thought incredulously.

Stomping back over to the loose corner of the tent, Lucy dropped to her hands and knees again and searched for the place where there was actually soil that she could get a stake through. "It's hopeless," Lucy whined, leaning back and wiping her brow of sweat again. She looked around the base of the mountain and saw a relatively large rock that she could use to hold down the corner of the tent. Lucy scrambled to her feet and rushed over to it, almost as if someone else might steal it if she didn't get there fast enough. She was barely able to lift it, but Lucy refused to be defeated by a stupid rock. She hefted it higher until it landed on her shoulder and carefully made her way back to the tent. As soon as she lowered it to the ground, grunting from the exertion while she did so and feeling a deep burn in her thighs and arms, Lucy made sure the tent was fully secured then started jumping around in a delirious form of joy. "Haha!" Lucy cheered, turning and pointing up at the mountain, "Take that, you rat bastard!"

"Bunny Girl, I think you're hallucinating," Gajeel finally said when he broke free from his perusal of her bikini-clad body. Before she turned to look at him, he made sure his face was turned in a scowl and his leg was propped up so she couldn't see the tent in his pants.

Lucy turned to glare at Gajeel, her hands on her hips and rage wafting off of her in droves. "I thought you were passed out, Gajeel," she hissed.  _Oh man, how much did he see? Please tell me that he just woke up when I put the rock down…_

"I wasn't sleeping in the first place," Gajeel grunted.

Lucy's fists clenched and she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down at least a little. One breath after another, and finally Lucy threw her hands into the air in utter exasperation. "Then why the hell did I do all of the work while you were sitting under a tree?!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Look around, dipshit!" Lucy screeched, throwing her hand out to the side towards the camp. "You're the one that sat there for over an hour!"

Gajeel raised a pierced eyebrow at her, then stood up and walked to where she was pointing. His jaw dropped when he saw that she had apparently set up a tent, a fire pit with a wide log next to it, and had already started cooking dinner. There were two bowls and spoons set off to the side of the pit where a large pot was already being heated with what smelled like a delicious rabbit stew. "I just closed my eyes for a minute," Gajeel muttered to himself before turning to look at the raging blonde. " _You_  did all this?"

Lucy stared at him like he was an idiot then nodded dramatically. "You're a dick if you weren't really sleeping. I figured I'd let you get some rest since you're the one that has to train me." She crossed her arms under her chest and sighed while she looked over at the corner of the tent where the rock was sitting. "I'm not  _that_ helpless you know…"

Before Gajeel could say anything, not that he would have known what to say to her in the first place, Lucy roughly brushed past him and sat down on the log while she stirred the stew. She leaned down and pulled a few small jars from a little blue bag and started dumping flakes of freshly ground parsley and thyme into the mixture, then put them away and continued stirring.

"Your bag's in the tent, by the way. I had Virgo bring it when she dropped off the supplies in case you needed anything," Lucy mumbled. When she heard him walking into the tent, she muttered, "You're welcome."

Gajeel scowled at the ground once he was in the tent. There was only a single bedroll, and he saw that his bag had been placed in the center of what he could only assume was where he would be sleeping.  _Where the hell is she sleeping if I'm supposed to be in here?_  Leave it to the annoying blonde to do something nice, yell at him, and then confuse the hell out of him. Instead, he decided not to dwell on it and grabbed a fresh set of clothes so he could wash himself off in a nearby stream. He stalked out of the tent and left the camp without a word, and spent the entire time he was cleaning the sweat from himself trying to figure the girl out. Clearly something was amiss in the way Master Jose looked at her as weak, since he'd watched her carrying that rock with only the slightest bit of strain, but Gajeel had seen for himself what she looked like when she returned from her missions. He could only assume that Master Jose had talked with her about the way she looked when she came back from her first mission, because it had never happened again; now, when she came back six kinds of fucked up, she was in fresh clothes and bandages even though she was about to collapse.

Lucy sighed when Gajeel walked away from the camp. She saw the clothes in his hand and figured he was going to clean up before they ate, so she allowed herself the small bit of space to let her emotions get the better of her. Her constant guilt over the lives that had been lost due to her negligence or by her own hand swelled, and wave after wave of other emotions crashed through her until she felt like she was drowning. She was always alone, but that wasn't really anything new since it had been that way once her mother had died; the only difference between then and now was that she didn't have a single person she could talk to. Bero and a few other servants were always nice to her, and willing to at least hold a decent conversation; now, Lucy had no one. She had been the one to rip herself from their lives, and them from hers, and now she was paying the price. The only person she talked to, aside from Tom at the guild when she ordered a smoothie, was Gajeel. Then again, her conversations with him always ended up with them arguing in one way or another, and wouldn't stop until one of them got too angry and walked off. She was scared that she would get kicked out of the guild for being too weak, for not representing the guild properly and giving them a bad name. All Lucy had ever wanted was to have people accept her for who she was, and while Phantom Lord had accepted her into their ranks she wasn't happy. She was part of a guild—something that she had assumed would make her happy—but she wasn't accepted. She just existed instead of living life to its fullest.

"I don't even know what it's like to really be happy, anymore," Lucy whispered to the stew she was stirring. Her writing was even suffering as she grew more and more depressed with each passing day, the characters and plot taking on a more tragic and dreary life as a whole, and she knew that eventually she would lose the will to try and pen even one more word. She sniffled and leaned back from the stew, setting her forehead in her hands while her elbows rested on her knees. She let her tears fall for the first time in months, silently and without holding back. "I'm so tired of being alone…" When she heard a twig crack, Lucy figured that Gajeel must be on his way back, so she roughly wiped her face to get rid of any sign of weakness and grabbed a change of clothes for herself. As soon as she saw him breaking through the line of trees, Lucy kept her head down and walked past him at a measured pace so she could wash up. "It'll be ready by the time I'm back," she said just loud enough for him to hear while she walked away.

Gajeel's mouth opened to say something when Lucy brushed past him, but he immediately closed it again. He'd been standing in the tree line for about ten minutes, watching her cry without making a single sound. He didn't know why he hadn't just walked back in and started ripping into her for being a wimp, but something had held him back. He'd stayed utterly silent, the smell of salt in the air overpowering the stew she was cooking, and heard every word she had said.  _"I'm so tired of being alone…"_  Finally, Gajeel had intentionally made a noise so she would know he was coming, though he couldn't figure out why he should care if she had enough time to compose herself, and then went as far as giving her another minute before walking into the clearing where she could see him. He growled while he walked through the camp and put his dirty clothes in his bag.  _Why the fuck should I care?!_  Lucy was the one with issues, and she needed to grow up and deal with them. Her issues weren't his problem, and he mentally kicked himself for not making her feel like crap for crying.

Lucy gave herself a pep talk while she walked back to the camp. She felt much cleaner, even though she'd only really rinsed the sweat off of herself in the stream, and at least a little refreshed.  _He probably wasn't paying attention anyway,_  she said to herself,  _Why would he care if I was crying?_ Lucy knew that if Gajeel had noticed her in that state, he would have never let her live it down; which could only mean that he hadn't noticed it at all. Once she broke through the tree line, she saw Gajeel sitting on the log and staring intently into the fire. The flames danced in his blood red eyes, making them more menacing than ever, and Lucy had to suppress a shudder that wanted to run through her when his eyes slowly moved to meet hers. She looked away and put her swim suit on the ground next to the fire so it could dry, then picked up her other clothes and crammed them into her bag. She sat down on the log and stirred the stew again, then pulled the spoon out and dipped her finger into the scalding broth. She licked her finger, found that the meal was perfect, and quickly dished up their bowls.

They ate in utter silence, the only noises in the small clearing coming from the surrounding nocturnal fauna, the crackling of the fire, and their spoons lightly tapping against their bowls. Gajeel helped himself to a second serving, and when he saw that Lucy had set her empty bowl down on the ground, finished off the rest of the stew.

"You sure eat a lot," Lucy said half-heartedly.

"Dragon Slayer thing," Gajeel muttered.

"I still don't know what that is," Lucy said softly while she looked up at the stars with a gentle smile. She loved seeing those constellations twinkling above her and sending down phantom traces of the warmth and love she had felt when her mother was still alive.

"Not important."

"Well, if we're supposed to work together, don't you think I should know something about your magic?" Lucy asked, finally turning to look curiously at Gajeel.

Gajeel sighed, setting his empty bowl down, then glared at Lucy. He could see not only curiosity swimming in her deep brown eyes that lit up with each flicker of the flames next to them, but also an eerie determination.  _Master Jose said to gain her trust,_  Gajeel reminded himself. He wasn't sure exactly how to gain someone's trust, since he had never cared to do so before, but maybe answering a few questions of hers would start building it up. "I'm an Iron Dragon Slayer," he said, turning towards her and throwing one leg over the log so he was straddling it, "Dragon Slayer magic is a Lost Magic, but basically I've got the powers of an iron dragon."

"Where'd you learn it?" Lucy asked, turning so she mirrored Gajeel's position and silently thanking herself for wearing a pair of pants instead of shorts.

"A dragon."

Lucy's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open in shock. "Seriously?" she asked, her voice filled with wonder. "How?"

"Don't worry about it."

Lucy glared at Gajeel, then nodded when she could tell he wouldn't budge on the subject. "Okay… so what kind of powers did you get with your magic?"

Gajeel hesitated, not wanting to tell her anything about himself. When she kept staring at him expectantly, he sighed and said, "Well, you saw me change my finger into a knife, but I can do that with my whole arm. I can change my skin into metallic scales if I need to, and they're damn near impenetrable."

Lucy rolled her eyes at the smug smirk on Gajeel's face, then waved her hand for him to continue.

"Uh… ranged attacks would be a roar, turning my limbs into metal poles that can extend at will. I can create metal that's sturdier than pretty much anything you'll find, and shape it into whatever I want for the most part."

"Is that all you got with your magic?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, "Or do the sharp teeth come along with it?"

Gajeel snorted. "Sharp teeth, enhanced senses—sight, hearing, taste, smell—along with increased strength, speed, stamina, appetite… you get the idea."

"Enhanced senses?" Lucy asked cautiously, "How enhanced?"

Gajeel smirked and crossed his arms over his chest, then leaned a little closer to her while he said, "I can smell emotions on people—their fear, excitement, jealousy… arousal." He paused for a moment and watched a light blush covering Lucy's cheeks, but she didn't look away from him. "And tears." He looked pointedly at her, and waited to see how she would react. What he'd expected was shame or something along those lines, so when her face hardened for a moment in anger before shutting down completely he was definitely surprised. After a full minute of silence, he continued. "I can also track scents, smell poison, and tell what a person's natural scent is even through their perfume and body wash."

Lucy's eyebrow quirked. "Really?" When Gajeel nodded, she asked, "So, what do I smell like?"

"Not tellin', Bunny Girl." There was no way that he would tell her just how sweet she smelled, or how he'd followed her the first time he'd scented her out. There definitely wasn't a snowman's chance in hell that he would admit to finding out last month that she actually smelled like cake icing; nor would he say that he'd gone to a bakery when he thought he'd smelled her only to find out it was a fresh batch of the stuff. Nope, not a chance.

Lucy pouted and sighed, then said, "Okay, what about the other senses?"

"I can hear up to about half a mile away. With  _you_? Your loud ass mouth would probably carry a whole damn mile." Gajeel chuckled when Lucy rolled her eyes with a huff, then continued. "I can see just about as far, and just as well in light as in the dark. Taste?... Well, I guess it's just stronger." Finally, Gajeel shrugged and uncrossed his arms, then leaned back and propped himself up on his hands while he watched Lucy thinking over what he'd said.

"What about your piercings?"

"What about 'em?"

"Is that a Slayer thing too?"

"No, that's just me," Gajeel said, raising an eyebrow at her and daring her to say something to start another argument.

Lucy nodded, thinking over her next question, then looked into his eyes and asked, "So, what about eating metal?"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her. "What about it?" he asked defensively.

"Why do you do it?"

"Dragon Slayers have to eat their element to maintain their magic. It helps us heal and regain some of our magic in dire straits, but we can still be affected by magical exhaustion—just takes longer if we have access to our element," Gajeel answered.

"There's more than one of you?" Lucy asked. "Like another Iron Dragon Slayer?"

Gajeel shook his head. "There's a rumor about a Fire Dragon Slayer, goes by the name Salamander. But, I'm the only Iron Slayer. Not sure about any others though."

"How many should there be?"

Gajeel shrugged and sighed, looking away into the fire instead of meeting her inquisitive gaze. "Dunno. Probably one for every element, but a lot of them died out before I was even born—least… that's what I was told."

Lucy's brow furrowed when she looked at Gajeel. While he was talking, she saw something she didn't even think he was capable of: sadness. It flickered across his face for the briefest of moments before he hid it from her and looked into the dying flames. "Can I see it sometime?" she asked softly, looking down at her hands instead of his profile.

"Yeah, during training," Gajeel answered with a smirk.

"How about right now?" she asked hopefully. "Just a little."

Gajeel turned back to her and frowned. "Why?"

With a shrug and a soft smile, Lucy's gaze didn't leave her hands while she said, "I think it sounds awesome. So far, I've only seen you make a knife, but that was when you were threatening to kill me."

After a few silent minutes, Gajeel sighed and said, "Whaddya wanna see?"

Lucy's eyes shot up and a wide grin spread across her face. "Really?" she asked excitedly. She scooted closer to him until their knees were touching, then crossed her legs in front of her on the log while he stared at her like she was trying to poison him.

"Yeah," Gajeel muttered.  _Guess I'm doing something right to get her to trust me…_

"Um…" Lucy mumbled, slightly nervous, "Can I see… your scales?"

Gajeel smirked and sat up fully. He held one arm in front of Lucy and shifted his skin into his metallic scales, while the three piercings on his arm turned into metal spikes and his nails elongated into claws, and watched with a small sense of amusement when her eyes went wider than he'd thought possible.

"Wow," Lucy whispered. She brought a hand up slowly, wondering if he'd let her touch them, and questioningly looked into his gleaming ruby eyes. "Can I…?" Gajeel looked slightly startled for a second, then his face shut down and he nodded at her. Lucy grinned and looked back at his arm, then lightly brushed her fingers over the scales from his elbow to his wrist and back. The metal was cool to the touch, and she felt each groove between the scales while she kept running her fingers over them. Without thinking, Lucy brought her other hand up and grabbed Gajeel's hand, but she froze when she felt him tense. "Sorry…" she whispered, pulling her hands away from him quickly and looking away.

"Nah, just surprised me," Gajeel grunted. He grabbed her hands and put them back on his scaled arm and watched her face for every reaction she let out. Surprise that he was letting her continue, awe when she started moving her fingers along his scales again, curiosity when she circled one of his piercings and poked the tip of the spike lightly. He couldn't help but wonder why she had wanted to see his magic in the first place, or why she had asked to see his scales out of everything he had told her, but that train of thought faded when she turned his arm over and started examining the skin-turned-metal that was smooth instead of scaled. Lucy's thumb brushed from the smooth area to the scaled and back, her head tilting to the side, then she moved down to his hand.

Lucy felt her cheeks darken in a light blush when she held his metallic hand in one of her own and ran the fingers of her other hand over every inch of it—his palm, the back of his hand, his wrist, and down each of his fingers.  _I never thought I'd be doing something like_ _ **this**_ _when I first met him,_ she thought. She studied the claws at the ends of his fingers for a moment, lifting his hand and pulling it closer to her face, then carefully touched the tip of one claw. She winced and pulled her finger back, popping it into her mouth to catch the small droplet of blood that leaked from the pinprick. When the blood flow stopped almost immediately, Lucy pulled her finger out of her mouth and smiled when she looked into Gajeel's eyes. "That's pretty cool," she said softly. "But, I think you should cut your nails. Don't you think it's a little feminine to have them so long?"

Gajeel's eyes narrowed into a menacing glare and he growled lightly at her. "They're claws, Bunny Girl. There's a difference."

Lucy waved him away dismissively with a smirk and said, "Sure, if it makes you feel better."

"Don't make me hurt you," Gajeel said with a malicious grin, chuckling when she clamped her mouth shut and glared at him.

Lucy sat for a few minutes, letting the silence fill the air. Just after she yawned, Lucy said, "I have one more question."

"What?"

"How often do Slayers need to eat their element?"

"Every couple days at least."

"What happens if you don't?"

"You don't wanna find out, Bunny Girl." Gajeel snorted then said, "That was more than one question."

Lucy rolled her eyes and got up to pull out her bedroll. She laid it on the ground by the fire, crawled into it, then said, "Well, you're not exactly the most forthcoming with your answers, so I needed to ask more questions just to get an answer I was satisfied with."

"You're sleeping out here?" Gajeel asked. When Lucy nodded, then rolled over and closed her eyes, he shrugged and walked into the tent. "Sunrise," he called out before settling himself down to try and get some sleep.

* * *

Gajeel's eyes shot open just like they did every time he woke up. He took in his surroundings twice and finally remembered he was sleeping in a tent at the base of the mountains he and Lucy would be going through for the next week or so. He slowly sat up, checking with all of his senses to make sure there wasn't anyone trying to sneak up on them. He heard the dimming sounds of the animals around them making their way to their nests and homes to sleep the day away, leading into the soothing silence that existed for a very short period of time just before the other animals would wake up and start foraging. He smelled the forest itself: the bark of the trees that thinned as they neared the mountain, the earthy dung left by deer, the fallen leaves that were slowly rotting to nourish the forest floor, and the faint scent of burnt wood left from the fire the night before. The small amount of ambient light that was able to breach the lining of the tent let him know that the sun was still trying to rise from its slumber, and he knew there was still at least an hour before it would break halfway past the horizon. Gajeel frowned when he didn't hear the blonde he was travelling with in any shape or form; there was no steady breathing from her still being asleep, no heartbeat to accompany her presence. He rubbed a hand over his face and pulled his blanket off of his legs, then stood up and took another deep inhale to try and assure himself that she was around. Nearly every trace of her scent was gone, almost as if she had never existed in the first place.

He rushed out of the tent, pulling on his shirt and boots as he went with wide eyes while he scanned the surrounding clearing. Another whiff: no blood in the air. There was a slight chill to the air and it hung thick with a faint pre-dawn mist. He couldn't see her bag anywhere, or even the bedroll she had slept in. A look at the forest floor made it feel like a ton of lead had dropped into his stomach and pushed everything in him to the floor. Where her bedroll had been seemed completely undisturbed, as if the grass there had never been home to a sleeping blonde woman. He took another step, looking up at the mountain, then over to the trees, and felt that same sense of abandonment Metallicana's disappearance had forced on him years ago. He let out a rumbling growl when he considered the fact that the little blonde woman made him feel that way, and his hatred for her started to take root deep inside of him.  _That's what I get for trying to get her to trust me,_  he thought sourly as his hands ran through his hair.  _Fucking Jose and this stupid mission._

Gajeel felt a tingle go up his spine and opened the eyes he hadn't realized he closed to see a faint golden light glowing from further within the forest. It was emitting some form of magic that seemed familiar in some way—though he couldn't place how or why—so he silently stalked towards it to find out what was going on. As Gajeel inhaled and his behind a tree, his eyes widened when he smelled that sugary almond concoction that was exclusive to one woman. He peered around the edge of the tree and saw her sitting cross-legged on the ground with her eyes closed in a small clearing they had passed through before they got to the mountain. The day before, it had been nothing special to look at—just some grass and a dead log here and there with moss growing over it. Now, with the golden light spilling from her in gentle and soothing waves, the clearing seemed to have gained some serene beauty he'd never witnessed in all his life. Her magic flowed from her in tendrils of glittering gold, sweeping lazily outwards to dance along her surroundings, and the aura she emitted was what had eventually led him to this place. Gajeel walked carefully around the edge of the tree and sat down, directly in her line of sight should she open her eyes, to watch her in awe while the next wave of golden light that filled the clearing washed over him as well.

He saw a deer enter the clearing out of the corner of his eye, carefully smelling the grass and its surroundings as any animal would do when they encounter something odd. It never looked in his direction, but trained its gaze on Lucy herself and skirted around the edge of the clearing while it avoided the more intense light centered on her. Once the deer was gone, having decided it was better to leave the woman alone, Gajeel watched as her hands turned over so the backs of them were resting on her knees. He felt the magic around the clearing increasing, and then saw the tendrils around her arcing gracefully to land in her open palms until there were two large orbs hovering just over her hands. He was absolutely mesmerized by the sight of the golden orbs that swirled with what looked like millions of stars, and the longer he looked at them the more he felt like he was being drawn in. Images popped into his head that he couldn't place or begin to understand: a mermaid, a clock, a cross, a harp, a compass, a crab, a bull, a bow and arrow, a dog, and a maid. His eyes widened when he saw the pink hair and emotionless blue eyes of the maid, and that was when Gajeel put together the pieces of what he'd seen. Lucy's spirits, each and every one that she owned, were swirling in the depths of those orbs; if not the spirits themselves, then something to do with them—maybe memories of them or the love she felt for them—but whatever it was, he had seen them.

Lucy held her meditation for as long as possible, and when she finally felt the orbs in her hands starting to wobble, she scrunched her face in determination and tried to go just a little longer. Her senses were coming back, and she knew it was a futile effort to keep trying, so she carefully pulled her magic back into herself. Once every bit of it was safely nestled inside of her again, Lucy sighed with a sweet smile on her face. She was proud of herself for her progress—since a brush of her hand over Horolgium's key told her that she'd been meditating for over an hour, and held the orbs for twenty minutes—and felt relief and a sense of calm washing through her at the thought of making her spirits stronger and proud as well. Her eyes slowly opened and landed lazily on a dumbfounded Gajeel, leaning against a tree with his mouth hanging open while he gaped at her. Lucy, unable to find it in herself to be angry right then and most likely running on a small high from the rush of her magic settling itself back into place within her, giggled lightly and flopped back onto the grass to look up at the stars that started disappearing as the sun began to light up the sky.

Her laughter broke him from whatever trance he'd been in, but before Gajeel could consider the fact that she was laughing at him, her head rolled to the side so she could see him and her arm lazily patted the grass next to her while the smile never left her face. Gajeel crossed his arms over his chest, a firm dismissal evident in his posture, but she didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

"Come look," Lucy whispered to him, turning her eyes heavenward once more to take in the beauty of the sky above them. "Come on, nothing to be scared of."

Gajeel snorted derisively and got up from his position against the tree, stalking towards her and glaring down at her with all of the malice he possessed. "I—"

"It's beautiful," she said. "How they fade in the brilliance of the biggest star of them all. Standing in the background of the sun's majesty while it rouses the world from darkness." She looked away from the sky and met Gajeel's glare with more serenity than she normally possessed in his presence. "Come look, Gajeel."

 _She's either stoned out of her fucking mind, or a total sap._  Gajeel rolled his eyes and laid down on the lush grass next to the spaced out blonde.  _It's my job to make sure she doesn't get her ass killed either, and I doubt she would have a clue if a whole dark guild came rushing through the woods right now._  "What am I looking at?" he asked gruffly.

"Heaven," she answered wistfully. When Gajeel snorted again and moved to get up, her hand shot out and grabbed his calloused hand to hold him in place. "It's true. Maybe not in the sense of gods and demons and all of that—not in a religious context—just in the peace it provides. Tell me what you see."

Gajeel's brow furrowed while he looked at her. Her eyes never left the sky, and they were shining with unshed tears, yet her hand had caught his as if she was a trained fighter with immense speed and accuracy. He sighed and adjusted himself so he was more comfortable, then looked back up at the sky. "I see the sky," he said plainly.

"What do you see in the sky?"

"Stars."

"What else?"

"There's nothing else there, Bunny Girl."

"Do you see the sunlight peeking over the horizon? Washing the stars away in its light?" she asked softly.

Gajeel's eyes scanned from where the sun was rising in the east, a light pink melding with the dark blue of the dwindling night sky, over to the west where the stars were still shining brightly. It was like a battlefield to him: the sun on one side trying to overpower the opposing night sky filled with millions of warriors that gleamed brightly as they valiantly stood their ground, unwilling to be swayed from their positions even though there was no way for them to win.

"What do  _you_  see, Gajeel?" she asked.

"War," Gajeel answered with a frown.

Lucy's head tilted to the side while she looked over the sky again, almost as if looking from a different angle would allow her to see his point of view. After a moment, she giggled and nodded. "I guess you're right," she whispered conspiratorially. "It's like the stars are rebelling against their leader. They won't win, but they try just the same and never give up."

Gajeel turned to look at her with utter confusion. Lucy hardly ever agreed with him on anything, and the one time it  _does_  happen is when she's talking about the sky of all things. "Are you high or something?" he asked.

Lucy shook her head, then squeezed his hand lightly. "This is the best part," she whispered, turning to look into his eyes for a moment before looking back into the sky, "Watch."

In the short time Gajeel had known Lucy, and even shorter time that he'd spent more than a few minutes in her presence, he had never seen her eyes dancing with so much happiness. Gajeel didn't know if that was directed at him at all, or because of whatever was making her act all loopy, but he knew without a doubt that it was the first time in his life he'd had anyone  _look at him_  with that emotion inside of them. It shook the very foundation of his being to have someone he hated, and knew felt the same way about him, allow that much of themselves be seen unhidden while looking into his eyes.  
"Look," Lucy said again, her smile turning wide and giggling while she held onto the large hand in hers. "One final attack for the time being. A last ditch effort to come out victorious."

Gajeel turned to look back up at the sky, and saw long streaks of light travelling from the nearly-vanished night sky towards the encroaching sun. Just like Lucy said, it looked as though the night sky was sending one last volley to try and win the hypothetical war the two mages saw.  _Shooting stars?_ , he thought in wonder. It wasn't often that he got to see them, and he usually avoided them because the first time he'd watched something like this was with Metallicana while they had laid in a clearing much like this one just outside of the cave they called a home. His body tensed with the anger that filled him when memories of a happier time in his life came crashing back through him, and he ripped his hand away from Lucy's grasp before storming back through the forest to their camp.

Once the last of the stars had faded for the day to begin, Lucy sat up slowly and sighed in defeat. She felt just like those stars her entire life, always fighting a losing battle with those around her. She fought her mother's illness and death any way she could, but she failed. Fought against her father and ran away to find happiness, only to be unhappy every single day she was gone. Fought to be accepted, yet she never was. Now, she was fighting to build some sort of less-than-hostile relationship with Gajeel, who had showed her a part of his own magic the night before, and seemed to be failing at every turn. Just like those stars that warred with the sun every morning, Lucy's life felt like it was bathed in darkness, and instead of a beautiful and revitalizing light winning out, she was forced to endure the searing heat of scorn and rejection again and again.

Lucy slowly made her way back to the camp, with downcast eyes and the joy she'd felt coursing through her from the stars' battle in the sky diminishing with each step. Once she broke through the tree line, Lucy saw that everything had been packed up and the camp was completely dismantled, with their bags sitting next to the log they'd eaten their dinner on. Gajeel was violently slamming his fists into the side of the mountain, growling and grunting with exertion, and Lucy's eyes widened when she saw the blood stains he left behind on the rock. "Gajeel!" she shouted angrily while she rushed over, "What the fuck are you doing?!"

Gajeel didn't hear her, just the loud roar of his own foster father echoing that night for the last time—since the next day, Gajeel woke up completely alone without a clue or even a scent to follow to find him—and memories he'd buried long ago surfacing. He let out his anger on the only thing he could, a huge mountain that would be able to take the beating he was dishing out. He felt a rough tug on his left arm, and whirled around with a powerful right hook that almost hit Lucy in the side of her head.

Lucy ducked down at the last second, feeling his fist hit the tips of her hair, and kicked her leg out to sweep his feet from under him. Gajeel crashed to the ground with a loud thud, and she backed up a step to glare at him while he rose to his feet. "What the hell, Gajeel?" she asked.

Gajeel growled at her and lunged forward, teeth bared viciously and one arm pulled back that jabbed forward to land a solid hit to her gut. "It's  _your_  fucking fault!" he bellowed, readying himself to bring his knee up and hit her face while she was doubled over in pain.

Since Gajeel's fist was still pressed firmly into her stomach, Lucy latched onto his arm with her hands and teeth, causing a ferocious roar of pain to sound from the man, then rolled to the side away from his body while she held onto him. His arm twisted and he let out another growl while they both fell to the ground, and Lucy put all of her power into a solid kick to his stomach with both feet while they were lying on their sides. He grunted in pain while she scrambled away from him, immediately taking a defensive stance with a hand poised over her whip and keys and spitting out the blood that pooled in her mouth from when she'd bitten him. "What do you mean, it's my fault?" she asked while she tried to catch her breath.

Gajeel growled again and sprung off of the ground, catching her around the waist and slamming her down beneath him. Her hands clawed at his face, her feet kicking wildly, while he wrapped a hand around her neck and started to squeeze. Every small scrape of her nails on his flesh or kick of her heels against him had his ire rising, and his grip on her throat tightened until her eyes widened in shock.

Lucy's vision was starting to fill with black dots as he cut off her oxygen, and if she could have cried out in pain she would have when he raised a fist and slammed it into the right side of her face. Her hands slowed for an instant, and she tried to think of something she could do to get Gajeel off of her so she could breathe. The last time he'd choked her, she'd been able to catch him off guard by kicking him in the stomach while feinting with a punch, but that wouldn't work this time.  _Think, think, think!_

Gajeel's hand pulled back again, and he roared in his anguish while he punched her. "You're the one to blame!" he seethed, his body shaking with the rage and torment he felt. The loneliness from his past melded with what he'd felt in the morning when he couldn't find her, and it only made him angrier.

"Please, Gajeel," Lucy croaked, dropping her hands to the one wrapped tightly around her throat and trying to loosen his grip. She felt a tear trickling down the side of her face while she looked into his eyes, the light of dawn drowned out by his mane of black hair that hung around them. When it proved useless to try and pull his hand away, Lucy found one last shred of determination and her hands shot up to the roots of his hair, then she yanked with everything she had.

Gajeel let out another roar and his hands shot up to hers, letting go of her neck and stopping the onslaught of attacks against the blonde's bloody face. That distraction seemed to be all she needed when her knee shot up between his legs, effectively knocking all of the air out of him and causing him to fall off of her onto the ground in a heap.

Lucy rolled onto her side, coughing and sucking in as much air as she possibly could while Gajeel did the same. She was luckily the first one to recover enough to move, so she jumped on top of him, rolling him onto his back and roughly pinning his hands to the ground while she straddled his hips. Lucy and Gajeel glared at each other, his fists clenching tightly while he snapped his jaws and continued growling at her, and her forcing his hands back down with a strength she didn't know she possessed every time he tried to move them. "What… the fuck… is wrong… with you," she panted.

Gajeel spat in Lucy's face, feeling entirely emasculated by being pinned by the petite woman, but his small victory was short lived when her knee lifted and quickly dropped between his legs again. He grunted and squeezed his eyes shut as pain burst through his body, the urge to vomit roiling inside of him, and the wind was knocked out of him again. He glared at her as soon as he was able to, then said, "It's your fucking fault."

" _What_  is my fault?!" Lucy screeched, watching as Gajeel winced slightly at how high and loud her voice was. "You haven't said anything to let me know what I did wrong, just that it's my fault, and I'm to blame for it. I have  _no clue_ what 'it' is, so maybe you should fucking enlighten me, you rusty piece of scrap metal!"

Gajeel fought again to bring his hands up, but his entire body protested the sudden movement as a painful throb started spreading from his family jewels outward. " _You_ ," he seethed, baring his teeth again, "Made me think about him."

"Who?! I didn't do anything!" Lucy yelled, bearing down on him with everything she had and propping herself up on her knees to gain more leverage. "All I did was talk about the stars!"

"Exactly!" Gajeel bellowed. "Fucking shooting stars and the sky and fighting…" His voice died in his throat while it constricted with an emotion he hadn't let himself feel in a long time. He pushed it back under as quickly as it came and let out a growl that didn't have nearly as much menace as it should have.

Lucy frowned at the devastation that flitted across his face and sat back, not paying attention to the position they were in, then slowly pulled Gajeel's hands away from the ground. She kept her grip tight when he tried to pull away, sending him a glare before she turned them over to look at his knuckles. They were split open enough for her to see the bones, and it even looked like he'd broken a couple, and there were scrapes and cuts all along his fingers with deep bruises starting to form. "I'm sorry," she whispered, not looking into his eyes and instead inspecting the bite wound between two of the piercings on his arm. "I didn't realize it was something that would upset you." Lucy carefully laid his hands down on the ground, then met his fiery red gaze that was still glaring at her. "I just wanted to show you a part of my magic that no one else gets to see… something that nobody ever appreciates."

Gajeel didn't know what to say to her. His anger with himself and her were warring within him. The pain from his past was boiling up inside, trying to overtake every bit of his body, heart, and soul. Lucy's kindness, even after he'd beaten her for his own issues that she never could have known about, made him sick to his stomach—partially from the kindness itself, and partially with himself for treating her that way. She had wanted to show him something about herself, her magic, most likely to reciprocate for what he had done for her the night before. He didn't know what to say or do, so he did nothing. He just laid there on the ground with the blonde sitting on him in a pair of dark blue jeans and black t-shirt, looking uncertainly into her saddened brown eyes.

"Open, Gate of the Maiden. Virgo," Lucy said weakly while she held her golden key out to the side. Virgo quickly appeared with a bow and a load of supplies in her hands. She silently laid them on the ground next to the two mages, then bowed to Lucy again and walked over to their bags to pick them up before she disappeared. Lucy sighed and moved everything so she could see what Virgo brought: gauze, tape, antiseptic ointment, bottles of water, alcohol, cotton balls, two sandwiches (one much larger than the other), a washcloth, a mirror, and several bars of iron. "Thank you, Virgo," Lucy whispered.

After taking a deep breath, Lucy lifted Gajeel's right hand and placed the iron bar into it, watching as his eyes widened before he looked incredulously at her. "Eat up," she said softly, "You said it helps you heal. I'll handle your other hand while you eat, okay?" She didn't wait for him to respond, and instead started working on his free hand. She cleaned it as gently as possible with the washcloth and water, set the few broken bones she found, then sanitized it with the alcohol and put the antiseptic ointment on it before bandaging it up. When Lucy saw that he had finished the first bar and was just staring at the hand she was still holding, she reached over and grabbed the next bar of iron and carefully placed it in his bandaged hand while she repeated the same actions on his other hand.

Gajeel finished the second bar and looked over to see another two bars of iron sitting within his reach. He grabbed one and started eating it while she finished up with his hand, and watched her face while she tended to the bite she'd left on his forearm. He nearly choked when her thighs tightened around him and her chest brushed lightly against his while she leaned forward to start cleaning the scratches on his face. He quickly grabbed her hands to stop her, swallowed the metal, then smelled the sadness and shame wafting off of her, with an underlying loneliness he knew all too well.

"Let me help you, Gajeel," Lucy whispered, "It's the least I can do since this is my fault." She sighed when he let her hands go, and cleaned the scratches on his face with alcohol and applied a small amount of antiseptic before sitting back and picking up the small mirror. She started dabbing at the cuts on her cheek and lip with the wet washcloth, lightly wiping away the blood from her nose before she noticed that it was broken. With a sigh, Lucy put the mirror down and ignored the continued silence from the Dragon Slayer on the ground since he'd finished eating his metal.

Gajeel's eyes widened in shock when he saw what Lucy was doing. She blew her nose into the washcloth, and the scent of her blood filled his nostrils.  _Shit, I broke her nose?_ , he thought when she pulled the bloodied cloth away to reveal a jagged cut across the bridge of her nose with the cartilage shifted to the side. She dropped the cloth to the ground and closed her eyes, pressing her fingertips together, then closed her hands around her nose. A single deep breath through her mouth, and her hands started slowly moving down towards her chin while she realigned it and exhaled through gritted teeth in a hiss, her eyes clenching tightly from the pain she was in. She picked the cloth up and wiped a small bit of blood from her face while she looked in the mirror again. He saw a wave of dizziness crash through her when she swayed slightly, and his bandaged hands shot up to steady her when she started falling forward.

"Thanks," Lucy said softly when she regained her composure after a moment, noticing that Gajeel's hands were tightly grasping her waist from when he'd helped keep her steady. She poured some alcohol onto a cotton ball and before she could lift the mirror again, she felt Gajeel shift beneath her while he sat up and took the cotton ball away from her. "What are you—"

"Shut it," Gajeel grumbled, carefully turning her head to the side with the hand that held the cotton ball while his other stayed on her waist, "You didn't know, so it's not your fault… Lemme help."

"I'll be fine, Gajeel," Lucy said while she tried to turn her head to look back at him. He glared at her and turned her head back to the side, but she still fought him. "Really, I can take care of myself."

"Sure, but you helped me so I should do the same," Gajeel reasoned. "It's what he taught me…" His voice was hardly more than a whisper when he added that, but he could tell Lucy heard him when she spoke.

"Who?" she whispered back.

"Metallicana. The dragon that taught me my magic," Gajeel said while he started cleaning the cuts on her face.

"You don't really seem like the helpful type," Lucy said with a smirk. "I'm pretty sure the only reason you're training me is because Master ordered you to."

"True, I'm not. And he did," Gajeel said with a nod, "But, I was taught to help those that help me. No one's ever helped me before, so I saw no need to help them. You did, so I will." He frowned when she hissed in pain as he dabbed her cheek, then dropped the cotton ball and gently prodded the skin there.

Lucy's eyes shot open wide and she gripped Gajeel's shoulders when pain bloomed across the cheek he was touching. She didn't make another noise after he dropped the cotton ball, clamping her lips shut and biting them to keep her pain to herself.

"Well, shit," Gajeel muttered when he felt the small space in her cheekbone through the swollen skin. His hand traveled carefully around her eye socket, closer to her nose and then up towards her temple, while he tried to find anymore gaps in the bone. When he didn't find any, Gajeel sighed and frowned. "I broke it," he said.

"How bad?" Lucy asked, whimpering and then internally kicking herself when he touched the same painful spot on her face.

"Not too bad, just one spot instead of the whole thing from what I can tell," he said. Gajeel raised his hand from her waist and held the opposite side of her head, then placed his thumb on her cheek and looked into her pained chocolate eyes. "I'm gonna have to set it…"

Lucy's eyebrows drew together in concern and she nodded before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. In one fluid motion, Gajeel's thumb pressed into her cheek while his other hand stabilized her, and Lucy let out a garbled cry while she squeezed his shoulders, tensing her entire body to stop herself from flailing around to get away from the pain. It was worse than setting her nose, and she instantly felt like she was going to be sick, but his hands left her head and she dropped it to his shoulder while her body trembled. She took deep breaths and willed the pain to stop, and after a few silent minutes she pulled her head back up and wiped away the few rogue tears that had leaked out.

"You good?" Gajeel asked carefully. When Lucy nodded slowly, with her eyes still closed and taking deep breaths as if she was trying to fight against the pain, he picked up the antiseptic and started dabbing it on her wounds. Once he was finished, he picked up the tape and a little gauze and made a small brace for her nose while it healed, then put a few pieces of tape along the one deep gash in her broken cheek.

"Is he the one I made you think about?" Lucy asked softly when she laid her head back down on Gajeel's shoulder once he was done. "Your dragon?"

Gajeel tensed when she rested her head on him again, his hands instinctually wrapping around her waist—which was apparently something neither of them were going to discuss, much like the position they were in, as they both ignored it—and her question had his breath catching in his throat. After he forced himself to relax, he nodded and said, "Yeah."

"I'm guessing you don't want to talk about it," Lucy said. When Gajeel nodded again, she sighed and added, "I get it, you know. At least a little bit…"

"I doubt it," Gajeel muttered. He scowled when he heard a light laugh from the blonde.

"Well, you can believe what you want," Lucy said softly, lifting her head so she could look into Gajeel's suspicious and narrowed eyes, "But, if you ever  _do_  feel like talking about it… I'll listen, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because you're the asshole that broke my nose and cheek and almost suffocated me for making you think about him," Lucy said with a smirk when Gajeel glared at her with more intensity. She lightly poked him in the chest and added, "You also helped me, so clearly you're not a  _complete_  asshole. It's a touchy subject, so I'll drop it like it never happened."

"So why…"

"Because contrary to popular belief, I'm not a total bitch," Lucy replied, smiling sweetly and drawing a rare chuckle from the Dragon Slayer. "You help me, I'll help you. I was taught the same thing."

After a moment, which was entirely uncomfortable for Gajeel based on what she'd said and how much he was enjoying feeling her pressed against his groin, he raised a studded eyebrow and smirked at her. "Well, as touching as this is… We still have to get through these mountains for our mission."

"What about my training for the morning?" Lucy asked.

"You sparred with me, and got your ass handed to you," Gajeel answered sagely, "I think you're good for today since you're already fucked up. But seriously… maybe you should stop grinding on my junk, ya skeez."

Lucy glared at him and grit her teeth in agitation. "You're the one holding me here, fucking pervert!"

"You didn't seem to mind," Gajeel said, his face becoming more lecherous by the second while his hands tightened around her waist.

Lucy scowled and punched him in the throat. As soon as his hands left her waist, she jumped away from him and fell on the ground laughing while he tried to breathe. "Ha!" she shouted, holding her sides, "Serves you right, Scrapmetal!"

"I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Gajeel wheezed.

* * *

Three days passed while the two mages travelled through the mountains, keeping as close to the base as they could to shorten the time it took to get through. Every morning, Lucy would train with Gajeel, running a few miles (with or without his iron strapped to her), sparring where she was only to dodge or defend herself, and any other torturous workout he could think up. After that first morning, Lucy began meditating at dusk after they set up camp and ate dinner with Gajeel tagging along to make sure she wasn't attacked while she was in a trance. They would spend the rest of the night in either utter silence or arguing over one thing or another, but neither of them brought up what happened that day that they had watched the sunrise. They knew that the dynamic of their hate-filled relationship had changed, and while it was still mostly filled with anger or irritation for the other party, they also acknowledged that  _something_ was different. Lucy felt a little more comfortable around Gajeel, and even watched him while he trained with his magic from time to time. Gajeel on the other hand was unnerved by the small degree of closeness they had gained, and did everything in his power to maintain his intimidating presence—even though it had never worked on her before.

After another two days, Gajeel realized that they had made better time than he'd anticipated, and neither of them could wait to get to the first town on the other side of the mountain range so they could shower and sleep in a bed for a change. Gajeel had grown up in the wilderness, so using a stream to bathe and sleeping on the ground really wasn't much of an issue for him, but he had grown accustomed to a mildly comfortable bed in his own home.

"Oi, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said when he came back to the cave they were going to stay in for the night with soaked hair and freshly washed dishes from their dinner.

Lucy looked up from the book she had been reading, already having finished her meditation for the day, and laughed when she saw how soaked Gajeel was. She put her book down on the floor next to her bedroll and said, "You look like a drowned cat!"

Gajeel glared at her, then carefully set everything down and kicked his boots off by the fire before stalking angrily towards her. "Fuck you," he growled.

"Mmm," Lucy hummed in mock thought, "Nope, I'm good." She screeched when he grabbed his hair and roughly rung it out right onto her chest, then rolled away to glare at him while he smirked at her. "I'm gonna drown you myself," she grumbled.

"Good luck with that," Gajeel said. He walked over to his bag and pulled out a fresh pair of clothes, noticing that everything was already cleaned, and pulled his shirt off to drop it on the ground by the fire. Since he wasn't facing Lucy, he couldn't see the blush that stained her cheeks while she hungrily gazed at the muscles running along his bare back; however, he could smell the faintest change in her scent, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.  _Probably reading that damn trashy novel again._  Gajeel toweled himself off and when he didn't hear the turning of a page, he chanced a quick glance out of the corner of his eye to see her staring at the mouth of the cave with a crimson flush on her cheeks.

Lucy got up and walked over to the cave's entrance, and grimaced when she saw the torrent of rain pouring down across the valley beyond. There was no way she was going to sit in front of Gajeel while he stripped down, because then she would most likely be caught ogling all of those rippling muscles that he had. It had been a while since a man had evoked such an intense carnal hunger in her, but this was the first time she'd ever been conflicted about it. Sure, she appreciated just how rugged and masculine Gajeel was, and freely admitted to herself that he was damn sexy in ways that made her body quiver with anticipation of all the pleasure he could give her. The only problem was that she couldn't stand him in the slightest: he was rude, egotistical, an overall asshole, and never knew when to shut his mouth. Her outstanding irritation from just being within earshot of him was constantly battling against her baser desires to tear off his clothes and tape his mouth shut so she could ride him into oblivion. Luck seemed to be on her side because every time she would start fantasizing about it, her mind would instantly jump in with all of the detestable qualities he possessed, effectively cutting off her raging libido in an instant.

When Lucy walked back into the cave a few minutes later, her scent was back to normal. Gajeel was sitting in front of the fire with only a pair of sweatpants on, letting the warmth of the flames help to dry him off. "Got a question," he said, his eyes never leaving the burning embers at the base of the small pit they'd made.

"Shoot," Lucy said, sitting down next to him and fiddling with her keys.

"Couple days ago," Gajeel started, noticing how she tensed, "What did you mean?"

Lucy looked over at Gajeel with a raised eyebrow and asked, "Huh?"

"About the stars and your magic. You said something about what no one else gets to see," Gajeel said with a frown. "What did you mean?"

Lucy looked back down at her keys and sighed sadly. "Just forget about it. It's not important."

Gajeel elbowed her in the side, and when she turned to glare at him he scowled. "I'll decide if it's important. Tell me."

"My spirits are represented by constellations in the night sky," Lucy said. "I've never had anyone in my life aside from my mom that really loved them the way I do, and any time I've tried to show someone anything related to my magic they just… They don't get it." She looked sadly down at her keys and continued. "Did you know that most people think shooting stars are actually the stars dying?"

"Aren't they?" Gajeel asked.

Lucy shook her head and smiled softly, then looked up at Gajeel. "No, they're not stars at all. Just big chunks of rock that hit our atmosphere and start to burn up while they fall down to Earthland."

"So why are they called shooting stars?"

Lucy giggled and lifted a hand into the air to make a sweeping arc above her head as she said, "Because they look just like stars that are flying across the sky. It's beautiful, and breathtaking, and…" She paused and dropped her hand back to her lap. "And no one really appreciates it. They see the stars as little burning balls of gas, or twinkling lights that mean it's nighttime. They don't see what I do… or what you saw that morning. The stars are just there to everyone else. But… They're more than just little balls of gas or twinkling lights to me."

"What are they then?"

"Friends," Lucy whispered. "The only friends I've ever had. Pretty pathetic, huh? Only having spirits as friends, and they're loyal to me because I have their keys."

Gajeel frowned again and stared into the fire. "So, what about the sunrise?"

Lucy chuckled and said, "That's what everyone focuses on. Not how the stars disappear because of the sun's rays, or how they're overshadowed by it. Everyone deals with the stars until they can see the sun again, because that sun is what they really want. It washes away the darkness, and bathes everything in light."

"I thought you said it was like heaven up there," Gajeel grunted.

"It is. It's peaceful. A small slice of serenity between the darkness brought on by night and the overwhelming reality of the day. For one small moment, the darkness and light are in perfect harmony; neither overpowering the other, just existing together. Everything is perfectly still on Earthland for a short period of time, just long enough for those stars to wage war against the sun and get just a little more time to shine down on us," Lucy whispered, looking up at the ceiling of the cave and wishing she could see the stars.

"So, why did you tell me to look?"

Lucy dropped her gaze to the fire, avoiding Gajeel's intense stare that was boring into her skull. "You showed me your magic, and I wanted to return the favor." With a small shrug, she added, "I guess I wanted to see if I'd finally met someone that could… Nevermind." Lucy stood up quickly and stalked toward the mouth of the cave, then walked out into the pouring rain to try and wash away her sadness. She felt tears pouring down her cheeks, only to be washed away by the rain, and Lucy hugged herself tightly while she tried to keep her balance on the steep slope. She walked aimlessly through the sparse trees at the base of the mountain they were staying on, and when she was able to see the sky again, she sighed and whispered, "I can't even see them through the clouds. Why? Why can't the stars win just once?"

The rustling of some bushes nearby had Lucy chuckling darkly. "Just leave me alone, Gajeel. I'm not in the mood to be made fun of right now," she said, turning her attention back to the sky and wishing the clouds would leave. The bushes rustled again, and the hairs on the back of Lucy's neck stood to attention. Her hands shot down to her hips to grasp her keys and whip, and that was when she realized she had never taken them with her. She was in a t-shirt and pajama pants, with no shoes to protect her feet, and no weapons or magic. Slowly, Lucy turned around and gasped when three men that were the same size as Gajeel stood leering at her. She took a step back cautiously, then another, and another; all the while watching as the men spread out in a wide semi-circle around her and moved closer.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, boys," the man in the center said, his cerulean eyes gleaming oddly in the light while his brown hair clung to his face and neck from the pouring rain.

"Can we keep her?" the one on Lucy's right asked, chuckling and flexing his tattooed hands while he crouched down into an offensive stance.

"Another blonde?" the third asked, seemingly bored except for the smug smirk planted on his olive skin. "Can't we ever find something more… exotic?"

Lucy's fear at being surrounded turned into a blazing rage that spread through her like wildfire. She sneered at them, not willing to say a word lest it distract her for even a moment, then pivoted quickly and sprinted through the trees to find a better vantage point. She needed some place that would give her the upper hand while she was dealing with these men, especially since she didn't have anything that could be of use to defend herself. She vaulted over a fallen tree, almost losing her grip when her hand met with slick moss on its side, and as soon as her feet hit the ground she was running again. The sounds of three distinct sets of heavy feet behind her and the panting from their owners had a sadistic grin creeping across her face.

She slowed just a little when she came to a fork, and that was when two well-muscled arms wrapped tightly around her from behind, trapping her arms at her sides. "Well, well, well," the voice of the first man whispered hotly into Lucy's ear, "Looks like I get the first taste."

Taking her defense knowledge from Gajeel's training, Lucy crouched slightly and bent forward so it would be harder for him to lift her up. She yelled out in her anger and stomped her feet in what he must have assumed was a tantrum based on his laughter, but it gave her a chance to widen her stance. Lucy reached her hand behind her and roughly grabbed his genitals, squeezing them with everything she had, then moved the other hand back to hit them with her closed fist. He grunted and coughed, but his arms loosened enough for her to bring her right arm up and plant her elbow solidly in his gut. Without a second thought, her left elbow swung in a high arc over her as she twisted to the left and caught him right in the jaw. In one fluid motion, Lucy's right hand swung around with the momentum of her turn adding more power and punched him in the nose, then she brought her right leg up and kicked him between the legs as he fell to the ground. "Back the fuck up!" she shouted as the other two men rounded the bend and came to stand in front of her. "I'm warning you, I won't stop until you're dead."

The tattooed man shot forward, pulling a dagger from his belt, and Lucy ducked down while he swung a powerful left jab with the dagger at her, then she swept his feet from under him. His dagger fell to the ground, and she dove forward to make a grab for it only to be pulled roughly from the ground by her hair. She was face-to-face with the olive-skinned man, the smug smirk from before turning into what would have been a terrifying scowl if she hadn't known Gajeel. Lucy swung her legs forward and wrapped them tightly around his waist, then she used his momentary surprise to bring her hands up to his face and plunge her thumbs into his eye sockets, the sickening pop of both of the dark green orbs that had stared at her so intensely made her stomach churn, but she continued pushing until he fell to the ground in a heap, screaming in agony and covering the bloody gaping holes in his face.

A solid punch to the left side of her head—thankfully the opposite side from the cheek that Gajeel had broken earlier in the week—threw her into a tree with a loud crack. Lucy slumped onto the ground and struggled to catch her breath, but she was suddenly being pulled across the forest floor by her legs, her shirt riding up and random twigs and debris scratching at her stomach. She kicked as hard as she could with both legs, clawing at the ground and hoping to find purchase somewhere, and then she felt her pants shifting slightly and being pulled from her body.  _He grabbed my pants!,_  she thought, quickly putting her hands on the waistband of her pants and loosening the tie so they fell off of her with his next forceful tug. Lucy scrambled to her feet to see it was the first man that had been dragging her, and she dropped to her back when she saw the faintest glint of a flying dagger that was aimed at her heart.

The man held onto her pants and stalked toward her, then pounced on her so his chest was pressed tightly to hers and his hips were pressing firmly against her lace-covered core. He grabbed both of her hands and tied her pants tightly around her wrists, then pulled back and tore her shirt open.

Lucy's fear wanted to overwhelm her, but she channeled her hatred for the sorry sack of shit on top of her. It took everything in her to push the anger from her face, and instead she looked up at him with hooded eyes and huskily whispered, "Wait. Let me please you…"

The man's eyes widened and a sadistic grin spread across his face. He leaned back down and roughly palmed her breasts while his mouth closed over hers. His tongue forced its way past her teeth and he felt her bound hands tentatively lifting to wrap around his neck, her fingers sifting through his hair and pressing him closer to her. Her legs slid slowly against his while their tongues battled, then wrapped around his waist. He knew she was strong, but he hadn't expected her to roll him onto his back while she straddled him.

Lucy pulled back from the putrid kiss, the man's mouth reeking of stale cigarettes and low-grade whiskey, and gave him a sultry smile then forced herself to moan when he grabbed her hips and ground her down onto his— _Wait, is he even hard?!,_  she screeched internally—erection. She lightly pulled his head back and started trailing kisses down onto his neck while he continued forcing her to grind against him. She choked back the vomit that threatened to spew from her when she tasted his sweat among the stubble on his neck, and then giggled when she lightly nipped his pulse and he gasped. "Oh, do you like that?" she asked.

"Fuck yeah," he groaned.

"Mmm," Lucy moaned, moving her lips over to the front of his throat. "Maybe I should do it again. May I, Master?"

"Holy shit," he rasped, sliding his hands from her hips down to roughly squeeze her backside. "Yeah, do what you want. Just don't stop."

Lucy giggled again, then lightly closed her lips over his Adam's apple and sucked. When he swallowed, and the excess cartilage was closer to his jaw, Lucy bared her teeth and clamped her jaw shut around his wind pipe, ignoring the blood that poured into her mouth. She shut her eyes to try and block out the pain of his hands while they beat against her back, then pulled harder on his hair so his neck was stretched out and twisted her head violently from side to side. With one last rough jerk, a portion of his throat was ripped out and sitting in her mouth while she sat up.

"What the fuck are you?!" The tattooed man screamed in fear when she turned to face him, spitting out the flesh and blood she'd torn from his leader's throat. He looked down at her stomach to pale even further when he saw the Phantom Lord symbol just beneath her bra. "I-I'm… I'm sorry!" he shrieked, his whole body frozen in terror while she stalked closer to him, "I didn't know!"

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked with a sneer, picking up the dagger she'd been trying to get to before.

"We were just passing through the mountain range to get to Waas Forest," he choked out.

"Why Waas Forest?" she asked, clenching her hands tightly and using the dagger to shred the pants-turned-rope on her wrists.

"I d-don't know," the man cried once her hands were free.

Lucy lunged forward and stabbed the man in the gut, pinning him to the ground. "Don't lie to me," she seethed, turning the dagger while she glared down at him.

The man let out a garbled cry, coughing up a small amount of blood, then winced and said, "We were going… to ransack a town… out there."  
"Is that  _all_?" Lucy asked venomously, turning the dagger again and watching him cough up much more blood and nod fervently. "Does anyone know you're out here?"

The man shook his head no, then let out a bloodcurdling scream when she smiled sweetly down at him and ripped the dagger upwards from his navel to his sternum. Before he could let out one last breath, her hands moved to his head—one around the back and the other on his chin—and with a quick twist, his neck was snapped in two.

The faint cries of the man who had his eyes gouged out were carrying through the woods, and Lucy numbly walked over to his prone, shaking form after pulling the dagger from the tattooed man's chest. She knelt next to him and placed a hand gently on his shoulder, and when he flinched she shushed him softly. She rolled him onto his back and tipped his head up to expose his throat. "Do you want mercy?" Lucy asked softly.

"Please… Please kill me!" he cried out.

Lucy giggled and shook her head, even though he couldn't see her, and tsked. "Sorry, that's not gonna happen," she said innocently. She raised the dagger and stabbed his genitals, reveling in the agonized scream he let out. She quickly pulled out the dagger and moved down to his feet, and after slicing each of his Achilles tendons, she put the dagger in his hand and said, "If you make it out of here alive, remember me. Lucy of Phantom Lord. I  _do not_  take kindly to threats. Your two friends are dead, and you're the lucky winner. Now get out of my sight!"

The olive skinned man gripped the dagger and rolled onto his hands and knees, and when he stood up and tried to walk a lancing pain shot up from his ankles, toppling him to the ground in an instant. He crawled through the forest, absolutely blind to everything around him, and within an hour he was attacked by a pack of ravenous wolves.

Lucy made her way slowly back up to the cave, not caring that her pants were gone or that her shirt was ripped open and baring her lace-covered breasts for all to see. The rain stopped just before she had attacked the first man, and Lucy didn't even consider trying to wash herself off. She could still taste the stale cigarettes and whiskey from his mouth, the sweat from his neck, and the blood from his throat. Her hands were covered in blood, along with her mouth, neck, and a few spots on her chest from when she'd torn the man's trachea out. Lucy no longer felt guilt for ending those men's lives, it was justified. Self-defense. At least one of them had made it apparent that he was going to rape her, and she was sure the other two would have gladly joined in on her afterwards. She was exhausted from the fight she'd gone through, the adrenaline finally having left her completely, and all she wanted to do was crawl into her bedroll and sleep.

Gajeel had been sitting by the fire for at least thirty minutes before he heard distant screams coming from the valley below his and Lucy's cave. It didn't really matter to him if some poor sucker got eaten by wild animals because they were too stupid to find a safe place to camp for the night, but the thought of the little blonde being out there while she was clearly upset over something made a small wave of fear crash through him. When he looked back on this moment in the future, he would call himself an idiot for thinking it was the fear of Master Jose's wrath if she got killed; however, the present Gajeel was sure it was only that and nothing more. Scream after bloodcurdling scream echoed through the valley as the rain came to a halt, and he moved to the entrance to the cave to try and find Lucy with his senses. She had been gone for almost an hour by then, and the screams had long since died down. He caught a small glimpse of a moving shadow as it slowly climbed the path to the cave, and he growled when he smelled an ungodly amount of blood on the entity as it moved closer.

Lucy looked up the path when she heard a growl, assuming it must be an animal that she would need to fend off, and only saw a pair of gleaming red eyes that stared at her in the darkness. "Gajeel," she whispered sadly, her knees buckling as the last of her strength left her. Lucy fell to the ground and almost put her head in her hands until she saw the still slick blood on them. Not wanting to show any weakness—because it was bad enough that he already saw her that way along with the rest of the guild—Lucy forced herself to her feet and carefully walked back up the path.

Gajeel heard his name whispered on the wind, but his eyes never left the shadow that moved closer. It fell to the ground for a minute, then slowly rose and continued its journey. It wasn't until he saw a head of long blonde hair that he realized who it was. Gajeel's eyes widened in shock when she walked up to him, his jaw dropping when he took in her appearance. She had been in her pajamas before she'd walked out of the cave, a simple t-shirt and pants, but now the pants were missing and her shirt was torn open, revealing black lace undergarments. Her hair was free-flowing instead of in a ponytail like usual, but there were portions that were matted with blood. And the blood… It surrounded her mouth and nose, down her chin and throat and even on her breasts; from her fingertips to her elbows; even some across her stomach and on her knees. There were faint scratches all across the front of her body, and little bits of mud were smeared here and there. "What the hell happened to you?" he asked.

"Nothing I didn't already handle," Lucy whispered, wiping away a single tear of relief when she saw him. She didn't know when or why it had happened, but seeing Gajeel had made her feel relaxed when she hadn't known she was tense. "Don't worry about me. They're dead." With that, she slowly walked past Gajeel and into the cave, dropping unceremoniously onto the ground once she got to the fire.

Gajeel frowned and walked in behind her, his sense of smell going haywire with the scents surrounding her—three different types of blood, all human, along with dirt and rain—and they all drowned out her own scent completely. He grabbed the first aid kit, and knelt down next to her, but when he started pulling out gauze she put a hand on his to stop him while she kept gazing into the fire.

"I'm not hurt, Gajeel," Lucy said softly. "This isn't my blood."

"You still didn't tell me what happened," Gajeel said while he put everything away and went to get some water and a washcloth. As he was walking back over to her, he saw her keys and whip sitting on her bedroll, and his eyes widened while he turned to look at her. "Come on," he said while he turned her to face him fully, "You tell me while I clean you up."

"I can manage," she said softly, avoiding his eyes while she tried to take the washcloth from him. Gajeel growled low in his throat and her gaze finally shot up to meet his. "I'm not a baby, Gajeel. I can take care of myself."

"Sure," Gajeel agreed, "But, you still need to tell me what happened out there, and why you walked out in the first place. So, I'll do this, and you talk." When Lucy didn't say anything, he added, "Let me help you, Bunny Girl."

Lucy nodded and sat down cross-legged in front of Gajeel, not even worrying about her lack of decent clothing. She kept her eyes trained on his hands while he started to clean her much smaller one, and slowly told him every little detail of what happened. Her walk in the rain, the men surrounding her, running away to gain the upper hand. How she was caught in a bear hug and disabled the first man, swept the legs out of the second when he tried to stab her, and gouged out the eyes of the third. How the first man started dragging her away after she was knocked into a tree, and then tied her hands up with her pants. How she had forced herself to seduce him and then tore out his throat with her teeth, then rounded on the second man and gutted him like a fish before snapping his neck. Finally, she told Gajeel about stabbing the third man's genitals and slicing his ankles open so he couldn't walk, then giving him the dagger while he crawled away and she walked back to the cave.

"Shit, Bunny Girl," Gajeel whispered, his eyebrows pushed together while he wiped the blood from her face, careful of her still healing nose and cheek. "I knew I should have gone after you. You could have been killed out there."

"But I wasn't," Lucy said when Gajeel moved down to her throat. She sat in silence when he carefully pulled her torn shirt down her shoulders, keeping her eyes on the ground. "I guess I should thank you for training me… If it wasn't for you teaching me all that stuff, I  _would_  be dead."

"Don't worry about it," Gajeel muttered while he started wiping the blood from her chest. Once he got to the edge of her bra, Gajeel stopped and moved down to her stomach while she leaned back on her hands. There was a dark bruise on one side of her ribs, and when Gajeel touched it she hissed in pain. With a smirk he said, "Looks like you're a little worse for the wear, Bunny Girl."

"Well, it does hurt to breathe a little," she said sheepishly. She couldn't help the blush that dusted her cheeks when Gajeel moved the cloth covered hand over her stomach and down to the top of her panties. Needing something to do, Lucy grabbed the bottle of water nearest her and opened it, downing half the bottle in one go. Once she pulled it away, she sighed in relief.

"Good water, huh?" Gajeel asked with a knowing smirk.

Lucy frowned at him and said, "Best water I've ever tasted. Got rid of that guy's nasty ass mouth." She shuddered and took another sip of water. "Cigarettes and shitty whiskey in his mouth, sweat on his neck, and then blood. Fucking disgusting."

Gajeel growled but kept cleaning her, moving from her stomach to her feet and then working his way up her legs until he reached her underwear again. For the first time ever, Gajeel relished every single pass of his hands over a woman's supple skin. Usually, when it came down to getting himself a piece, he was in and out taking only as much time as necessary to get himself off and if he was feeling generous, he'd even get the girl off too. He'd never been a romantic in any sense of the word, and every woman he'd fucked had just been a means to an end. Lucy on the other hand had absolutely  _no_  interest in him, and he was only attracted to her physically, but he still found himself admiring her and memorizing just how she felt under his hands.

Lucy set the water bottle down, and winced when she felt something sharp poking her breast. She looked down at her chest and sat up slightly so she could pull the cup away from herself with one hand while she used the other to figure out what was poking her. After only a moment, she found the offending little thing, and sighed when she pulled a twig out of her bra. "Seriously?" she groaned, "Fucking twigs?"

Gajeel snorted but kept his thoughts to himself while he started cleaning the small scrapes on her stomach and legs, and the larger ones on her knees, with alcohol.

"Hold on a second, okay?" Lucy huffed, pulling away and crawling across the cave to her bag. She grabbed a new pair of undergarments in a simple dark blue satin, then crawled back over to Gajeel and sat down in front of him with her legs slightly spread so he could kneel between them while he tended to her small wounds.

 _Goddamnit, woman!,_  Gajeel mentally berated the blonde while she crawled away. His jaw had dropped to the floor when he saw her hips swaying so enticingly, and then her chest doing the same when she crawled back over to him. While her legs had been stretched out in front of her before she moved, she just  _had_  to spread them around him so he could smell that oh-so-perfect scent of hers even clearer than before from the lace between her legs. Shaking his head and glancing at her face, Gajeel internally sighed when he saw that she had apparently not noticed his ogling, then got back to work on patching her up.

Lucy moved to put her hands behind her back to undo her bra—only after she looked at Gajeel and saw that he was firmly ignoring her while he took care of her legs—and hissed when her ribs protested the movement. Her arms dropped to her sides, while one hand pressed to her bruised ribs, and she took deep breaths while she willed the pain to leave her. Once it subsided, Lucy sighed and looked at Gajeel's face, taking in the way the fire danced off of his piercings. She cleared her throat, and when his crimson eyes lifted to meet hers, she blushed and nervously said, "Um… So I need your help… with something…"

Gajeel raised a pierced brow and looked at her expectantly.

"W-Well, you see…" Lucy stuttered, her blush deepening when he stared blankly at her. "I uh… Well…"

"Goddamnit, Bunny Girl," Gajeel groaned, "Spit it out already."

Lucy scowled at him, crossing her arms over her chest, and said, "I need help getting my bra off, jackass. My ribs hurt too much for me to reach the clasp."

Gajeel rolled his eyes and sighed, though he was internally grinning lecherously, and said, "And you had a hard time with that,  _because…_ "

"Because I've been fondled by enough perverts tonight," Lucy shot back defensively. When Gajeel's face hardened and he growled at her, she sighed and dropped her head. "Look, I'm a little freaked out right now, and I just need some help. I'm not trying to say you're planning on raping me like those guys were going to d—"

"What?!" Gajeel snarled. There were plenty of shitty things he'd done in his life, but  _that_  was one line he refused to cross. Sure, he wasn't the most social person, or even halfway decent by most people's standards. He definitely wasn't going to win any awards for treating women exactly how they should be treated, but Metallicana had taught him (and he'd felt it with every fiber of his being even before then) that there were certain choices that were hers and hers alone; like who she allowed into her bed. The thought of a choice like that being taken from anyone sickened him immensely, but the thought of that happening to someone he knew—even someone like Lucy, whom he couldn't express the amount of hatred he held for—made him absolutely enraged.

Lucy's eyes went wide and she actually moved back just a little when she saw Gajeel's demeanor change. "I-I wasn't… I wasn't saying  _you_  would do that…" she said hesitantly, cringing and shutting her eyes when she saw him moving towards her. Her eyes shot open in shock when she felt herself being pulled into his lap, her legs straddling his much like they had a few days prior, and his arms wrapping around her shoulders while his head nestled in the crook of her neck. He was still growling with every breath, and she could practically  _taste_  the anger pouring off of him, but his embrace was nothing less than careful and protective. "I-I'm sorry," Lucy whispered against his bare chest, "I didn't mean to—"

Gajeel lightly squeezed her, making sure he wasn't hurting her ribs, and shook his head while he took another deep whiff of her scent. "Shh," he said, his anger slowly but surely dissipating while his senses were clogged with her sugar-and-almonds scent.

"But, I—" Lucy tried to say, then growled herself when his hand moved to wrap around her head and cover her mouth.

Gajeel took another deep breath, keeping his eyes closed, and shook his head again. "Please," he whispered, "Just gimme a minute…"

Lucy's eyebrows shot up in surprise at how he sounded—definitely angry, if his growls and the tension in him were any indication, but there was also a hint of sadness in his voice that caught her completely off-guard. She slowly nodded and felt his hand slide from her mouth back to its original position across her back. After another minute of him growling against her neck, Lucy carefully moved her arms from where they were pinned between her chest and his, and slid them around his waist. He tensed for a moment when she started to move, but once her hands were settled and drawing soothing circles on his back, Gajeel relaxed enough that Lucy was comfortable lying her head on his chest and letting her tears from the fear she had fought against earlier finally fall without a sound.

 


	3. Arc 1: The Mountains and Mission

 

Gajeel was still taking deep breaths to calm himself down, but he had never expected to find himself in this position. Lucy had already sat on his lap like this one other time, except she was helping to patch him up after he attacked a mountain and then her, but at least that time they had both been fully clothed. Aside from the fact that he'd intentionally gone out of his way to comfort her and try to relax himself, she was holding onto him like a lifeline and crying. He smelled her fear as it crept up, but it was only after a wave of calm had washed over her when her arms wrapped around him. As far as he could tell, she was thinking about earlier and felt comfortable enough with him to let it out. What he still couldn't understand was how he hadn't noticed all the signs that pointed to what those bastards were planning: surrounding her, tearing off her pants, tying her up and pinning her to the ground, ripping her shirt open. As soon as Lucy had forced herself to seduce that guy, he'd jumped on the invitation; she'd called him 'Master' simply because it would make him feel more in control, and the guy  _liked_  it. She had been refused a choice when it came to who touched her, who she kissed and kissed her back, because it was the only way for her to overpower the man and make him suffer.  _I should have gone after her…_

Lucy sniffled and pulled a hand back from Gajeel's waist to wipe her eyes, then wiped away the tears that had cascaded down his chest and stomach during her breakdown. When she tried to pull away, Gajeel's grip on her tightened slightly, so she leaned her forehead against his chest and whispered, "Sorry. You probably don't want me crying all over you."

"It's fine, Bunny," Gajeel said softly. "Do what you need to."

Lucy's brow furrowed in confusion, and she didn't know what to do when she felt Gajeel take a shaky breath and pull away from her shoulder only to run a hand through her hair. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked softly.

"Because you just went through some serious shit," Gajeel answered with a frown. "I'm a lot of things, but what they were gonna do doesn't fly with me. Doesn't matter how much I hate you, that's  _your_  choice to make… not anyone else's. I know you can take care of yourself, but I still should have been there…"

Lucy's head shot up to look into Gajeel's saddened ruby eyes. "Gajeel," she whispered, her body and mind unable to even begin to comprehend what was happening. The tenderness he was showing her made her feel safe like she never had before, and the fact that it was coming from  _this_  Slayer was not only unexpected, but humbling. It was so at odds with what she had come to expect from him, but all she could really figure out was that he wasn't  _all_  bad. There was a line in Gajeel that he would never cross, some sense of honor or a code that he held within himself that clearly set out strict boundaries on very specific topics.

"Look," Gajeel said while he watched her staring at him, "Me acting this way isn't gonna happen often, so just take it for what it is. If you hadn't already killed those guys, I'd be out there doing it myself. Regardless of that though, I'm here for you alright?"

Lucy slowly nodded, feeling fresh tears cascading down her cheeks. She quickly looked away from him towards the barely burning fire and said, "Guess Master was right… I  _am_  weak. I mean, I haven't cried in months, and yet… Here I am. Third time in a week."

Gajeel frowned and moved his hand from her hair to her chin while he made her look back at him. Once her eyes met his again, he brushed a thumb lightly over her cheek to wipe away her tears and shook his head. "You're not weak. You've been taking everything I've thrown at you all week like a fucking champ. Hell, I even attacked you without holding back and you only came out with a couple broken bones. Plus, tonight… A couple scrapes and a bruised rib while you took three guys down with your bare hands—no magic whatsoever." He moved his other hand up to wipe away the tears on the other side of her face, then added, "As for crying? Well, I don't know about the other two times, but right now is a good a time as any for that shit. I'm not faulting you for it, and I'm not planning on telling him about what happened unless he finds out from someone else. You've had a long, shitty night so I think a few tears are perfectly fine."

Lucy sniffled again and gave Gajeel a watery smile. "Guess you're not as big of a dick as I thought."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said with a smirk, "I'm a  _huge_  dick. I'm just willing to put that shit to the side to help you out right now. As soon as you're feeling better, I'll go right back to wanting to skin you alive."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh. It was ridiculous, absolutely ludicrous that Gajeel threatening her would make her laugh and feel better, but that's just what it did. Once her fit of giggles subsided, which Gajeel had lightly chuckled along with her while his arms wrapped back around her shoulders, Lucy sighed and leaned her head against his chest again. "So, I still need your help," she said with a smirk.

"You're a real pain in my ass, Bunny Girl," Gajeel retorted, though there wasn't nearly as much malice as usual. He leaned forward and grabbed the undergarments she had brought over while his other hand snapped the clasp open on her back with a quick twist of his fingers.

Lucy sighed in relief as soon as her bra came loose, and pulled her chest away from Gajeel's while she pulled the straps down her shoulders, immediately throwing the defiled black lace into the fire. "Hand me that washcloth?" she asked. As soon as it hit her hand, Lucy wiped the rest of the blood off of her breasts that had seeped into the lace of her bra, then found a few leaves and another twig that had stuck to her skin and wiped them away. She pulled the satin bra on and felt Gajeel's large hands quickly do up the clasp at just the right setting before he fixed the straps on her shoulders. "Thanks."

"No problem," Gajeel muttered. "Usually I'm just taking them off, so I guess it's a nice change of pace."

Lucy smacked Gajeel's side lightly and said, "I guess I should finish getting bandaged up. You said we're leaving early tomorrow."

Gajeel carefully adjusted himself so he was sitting cross-legged on the ground with Lucy still in his lap, then reached over to the first aid kit and grabbed the gauze so he could wrap her ribs.

"I can sit on the floor, you know," Lucy said, though she made no move to change her position or pull away.

"Nah," Gajeel muttered, "I'm not letting you off my lap."

"Don't be a perv," Lucy ground out. She carefully leaned back with her hands on the floor of the cave so Gajeel could easily access her ribs, and blushed when she realized that she was literally spread out for him with her barely-there lace panties doing a whole lot of nothing to protect her womanhood.

"I'm not," Gajeel said with a toothy grin, "I'm just not letting you get up yet."

Lucy rolled her eyes and sighed. She studied Gajeel's face while he was bandaging her ribs, noticing that he was entirely focused on the gauze he wrapped around her torso and not the breasts right above his hands when he finally stopped. Once he was done, Lucy carefully pulled one leg back while she held onto his shoulders for stability and turned around in his lap. "Well, since you're not letting me get up, I guess I'll just have to change my underwear from here."

"Pretty much," Gajeel answered with a snort. "Not sure how you're gonna manage though."

"I'll figure it out," Lucy said with a smirk while she glanced back at him. "Besides, that nasty bastard was grinding all over my underwear. I  _really_  don't feel like wearing these." When Gajeel growled, she placed a hand gently on his arm and said, "If it's any consolation, I couldn't even tell if he  _had_  a dick."

Gajeel couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter when Lucy's free hand lifted into the air with her pinky extended and her thumb pointing at the tip of it to show just how small she thought the guy was. When she laughed along with him and leaned forward to grab the fresh pair of underwear, he leaned back on his hands and said, "How are you planning on getting them off?"

"Hmm," Lucy hummed, "Any suggestions that aren't perverted?"

Gajeel leaned forward slightly and held his hand out in front of her with one finger shifted into the iron blade she had already seen the day they met. When Lucy giggled and nodded, his hand ghosted down her waist and hovered over her hip before sliding lightly along the band of her panties to the center of her lower back.

"What are you doing back there?" Lucy asked, arching her back and turning to look behind her.

Gajeel raised a pierced eyebrow at her, then slid the blade under the fabric at an angle where the lace that travelled between her rounded cheeks met the band. One flick of his finger had the skimpy material falling limply in three separate pieces so she could just pull it off from the front.

"Huh," Lucy stated with an approving nod. She pulled the lacy underwear off and asked, "Would you like to do honors?"

Gajeel chuckled and took the shredded panties from her hand, then tossed them in the fire to join the previously burned bra. He watched with amusement as Lucy pulled her blue satin boyshorts over her feet and up to her mid-thigh before huffing angrily.

Lucy glared at Gajeel's legs then threw her hands in the air. "I give up," she said with a sigh. "Look at my snatch and you're a dead man, you hear me?"

Gajeel's eyes widened when Lucy leaned back against his chest, then lifted her hips into the air while she pulled her panties up the rest of the way. Thankfully, he had amazing peripheral vision, and caught the barest glimpse of a small patch of golden curls over her sex while he kept his eyes locked on hers. "All set there?" he asked when she sat down only to turn around and straddle him again.

"Yeah, but you're blushing," Lucy said with a smirk that turned into a grin when Gajeel's eyes narrowed dangerously at her. "So, Gajeel. You've got a busty blonde sitting in your lap in lingerie, what do you suggest we do?"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow and shook his head.  _Damn, any other time and I'd have her on her back already. I can't do that to her after what happened tonight,_  he thought. "You still never told me why you bolted earlier."

Lucy's smile fell in an instant and she sighed. "It's stupid."

"I'll be the judge of that," Gajeel pressed. "C'mon, what got you all worked up that you had to walk out in the rain?"

Lucy looked down at her hands while she twiddled her fingers together, and whispered, "You asked me why I wanted you to look at the sky. Well, I wanted you to see a different side of my magic that wasn't based on my power or summoning my spirits, but based on the origin of my magic."

"Right?" Gajeel pressed.

Lucy glanced up at him to see a single raised eyebrow and rolled her eyes. "It's really dumb, can't we just drop it?"

"No."

Lucy glared at him, and after a silent minute she gave up. "I wanted to see if I'd finally met someone that could understand my magic the way I do. I've always wondered if I was a little crazy for seeing the stars that way, since anyone else I talk to about it acts like I am. What you said wasn't exactly what I saw at first, but it made sense… And you at least took the time to look instead of brushing me off like everyone else does."

"What made you ask me in the first place though? Why would you care if I saw your magic that way?"

Lucy smiled softly and looked up into Gajeel's eyes that were filled with confusion, and said, "When I meditate the way I was that morning, I pull every last bit of my magic from my body and focus it on those orbs. It's kind of a rush to feel it all settling back in when I stop, so you weren't entirely wrong that morning when you asked if I was high." She paused and flicked Gajeel in the forehead when he started scowling. "My feeling that way lowered my inhibitions enough to ask you to look—I probably wouldn't have done it otherwise because I'd have been too afraid you would think the same thing as everyone else. You saw the stars in a way that I'd never imagined, but you  _saw_  them. They were more than little lights to you that morning, and… I guess… Hearing you say that you saw something more made me feel like I wasn't alone for once."

Gajeel's eyes widened marginally while he looked at her. Being alone was something he knew a lot about, and he had apparently made her feel less like he always did just by looking up at the sky with her while she was riding a magic-high. She admitted that she wouldn't have asked him to look at the sky with her for fear of rejection, and damn if that didn't strike a chord deep down inside of him; Gajeel kept to himself because he didn't want to let anyone in again like he had with Metallicana—he never wanted to hurt like that another day in his life.

When Gajeel was silent for a few minutes, she said, "See? I told you it was dumb."

Gajeel frowned and shook his head, then said, "It's not dumb. I saw what I saw because of how I was raised. Metallicana used to ask me shit like that all the time. That's why I got pissed and ran off—one of my first memories after he found me was looking at the sky at sunrise."

It was Lucy's turn to frown when she looked up at Gajeel's face. "I'm sorry about that, you know. I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't know," Gajeel said with a half-shrug. "I'm serious though, it's not stupid. And as for earlier, I think it  _is_  important."

"Huh?

Gajeel smirked and placed a hand over hers, slowly running his thumb over her knuckles, and said, "You told me not to worry about what you said that morning, that it wasn't important." When Lucy nodded, he continued. "It  _is_  important. Based on how uncomfortable you got just trying to tell me about it, clearly it's something that's really close to you. And I can see why."

'Y-You do?" Lucy asked, looking down at their hands while his thumb kept sweeping lightly over hers.

"Yeah. It's like me and Metallicana," Gajeel said softly, "It's a touchy subject, and almost anything can remind you of it. No one really gets it, and you don't want to try to make them understand."

Lucy frowned and pulled her hands out of Gajeel's grip, and when he looked up to meet her eyes, she couldn't help herself. She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her chest tightly to his while she hugged him. After him sitting completely still for at least a minute, Lucy's hands slid down his arms and carefully grabbed his wrists. She placed them on her waist before sliding back up his arms to her original position.

Gajeel's mind had shut down when she wrapped herself around him like that—her chest pressing against his, how soft her skin was, and the fact that she was hugging him in the first place—and had only just started back up when she grabbed his wrists. Of course, once his hands were on her tiny waist, he couldn't help but let his fingers dance across her bare skin while he wrapped his arms around her in return. "Bunny Girl," Gajeel whispered against her hair.

"Hm," Lucy hummed in response, tightening her hold on him for a moment.

"Why are you hugging me?"

"Same reason you're hugging me," Lucy said with a smile.

"I'm doing it because you are," Gajeel retorted.

"Same here."

"That doesn't even make sense."

Lucy giggled and pulled her head back to grin mischievously at him. "Neither does you and me hugging," she said matter-of-factly, "Especially since you're planning on skinning me alive… and I'm planning on ripping your dick off while you sleep."

"You stay the fuck away from my dick, Bunny Girl," Gajeel growled.

"You're the one that wouldn't let me get off of your lap," Lucy shot back, "Kinda hard to stay away from your dick if I'm sitting on it."

"So, you're gonna rip my dick off because you're still on my lap?" Gajeel asked incredulously.

Lucy laughed, throwing her head back and really letting her mirth show, and when she looked back at Gajeel she shook her head. She pulled one hand away from his shoulder and lightly tapped his nose while she said, "Nope. I've been plotting the demise of your genitals for months now. This is just the first time I've been close enough to get the job done."

"Don't poke me, Bunny Girl," Gajeel growled. "And if that's the case, then why didn't you do it sooner?"

Lucy tapped his nose again and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I had to lull you into a false sense of security. Besides, last time I was in your lap, I had just gotten the shit kicked out of me."

Gajeel shuddered when her breath danced across his ear and down his neck. "False sense of security, my ass," he grumbled. Noticing her finger still lightly tapping his nose, Gajeel tipped his head back and bit down on that annoying little thing, causing Lucy to jump back with a squeak.

Lucy tried to pull her finger out of Gajeel's mouth, meeting his annoyed glare with one of her own. "Let go," she said firmly, "Your teeth are far too sharp to do this."

Gajeel grinned darkly and bit down just a little harder for a split second, watching her gasp. He nearly groaned when the scent of her arousal filtered into his nostrils, and when he tried to lick his lips his tongue flicked across her finger instead. He tasted her on his tongue, and fuck if just that small taste of her finger wasn't the most delicious thing he'd ever had. He watched Lucy's eyes drop to his mouth, drawing her lower lip between her own teeth and nibbling lightly on it, and a light blush dusting across her cheeks. Gajeel's lips closed around her finger, and he sucked the slender digit fully into his mouth before his tongue dragged from one end to the other in a slow stroke that let her feel the barbell that pierced it, while he slowly pulled his head away. Once the tip of Lucy's finger was lightly resting against his lower lip, Gajeel smirked at the dazed expression on her face and how much stronger her arousal was becoming. "Need something, Bunny?" Gajeel asked, his voice coming out lower more gravelly than usual.

Lucy nodded absently while she stared at Gajeel's lips. She was hardly more than a few inches from that mouth, her finger still resting against it while she tried to get her brain to function again. The way his tongue had moved over her finger had her lighting up like a Christmas tree, and then the small iron ball that created a little bit of friction in the center of his tongue made her brain stutter. Gajeel's hands slid down to her hips, the light contact and calluses on his hands making her shiver and gasp. One corner of Gajeel's mouth lifted in his usual smirk, and Lucy's finger slid carefully down his chin to glide effortlessly over the piercings that adorned it.

"What do you need?" Gajeel asked. He was more than willing to taste more of her, feel every inch of the body that she had been tempting him with since they met, and hear her scream out his name in ecstasy, but the only problem was that he couldn't bring himself to make the first move after the way her night had gone. It was Lucy's choice, and that had been taken away from her once already (luckily, the bastard didn't get a chance to take away too much); Gajeel would wait for her to decide what she wanted.

Lucy's eyes flickered up from his lips to look deeply into the heated crimson gaze that was practically burning with unbridled passion. She glanced down at his lips again, then back to his eyes, completely unsure of what she was even considering. He seemed to see her hesitation and uncertainty, but he stayed completely still while she figured out what it was she wanted.  _He's… He's letting me choose?_  She realized that had to be the case and felt her lips turning into a sultry smile that made his eyes darken with lust while she closed the distance between them. Once her lips touched his, all of the physical attraction the pair had been fighting burst like a dam, sending heat flaring in her veins and making Lucy's body ripple with pleasure.

Gajeel tightened his grip on her hips and pulled her flush against his chest, groaning when her hands sifted through his hair as his lips moved more insistently against hers. Those plump little lips of hers that he'd secretly fantasized about were molded perfectly to his, and he could already feel his body reacting to her. Just like everything else he did, Gajeel took control and lightly nipped at her lips, but he wasn't expecting her to moan and grind herself against him. He let her bottom lip go and saw her smirking at him while she repeated the action, making him groan. Her grip on his hair tightened, her barely clothed body sliding against his, and she dove forward as soon as his mouth opened on another groan and pushed her tongue roughly into his mouth to glide along his. He was able to taste the cigarettes, whiskey, and blood from the man that had tried to hurt her, and Gajeel growled while he took control again and made sure to smother every other taste on her until only his remained.

Lucy had never been kissed like this before, but some part of her knew that kissing Gajeel would be exactly like this. He was rough, dominant, and knew just what to do to melt her into a pathetic little puddle with just his tongue circling hers. The way he moved was almost possessive, and it seemed as though he wouldn't be satisfied until the faint traces of that man were gone for good. When he started to pull back, Lucy moaned and dove back into his mouth to tease that delicious piercing. His pointed teeth lightly clamped down on her tongue, another growl rumbling through his chest, and the corners of Lucy's mouth turned up while she moaned and bucked her hips against him. She pulled her tongue back slowly, letting herself memorize just how his teeth felt as they dragged along the lithe muscle while she withdrew it. Her lips closed once her tongue was alone in her own mouth, and she carefully sucked his lower lip into her mouth before leaning in and kissing him softly.

"Fuck, Bunny Girl," Gajeel whispered when her forehead pressed against his. He kept his eyes closed and smirked when her nose lightly dragged over the piercings in the bridge of his nose.

"I could say the same to you," Lucy whispered back, lightly dragging her nails over his scalp.

"Never thought it'd be like that."

Lucy pulled away slightly to look into his eyes, wondering just what he was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"Out of all the times I imagined what it'd be like to kiss you, I definitely didn't think it'd be that damn good." Gajeel's eyes cracked open to see her head tilted to the side. "You're hot as fuck, I'm not blind."

Lucy raised an eyebrow and said, "I thought my tits did absolutely nothing for you."

"I lied," Gajeel said, drawing out his words lazily while her hands kept sifting through his hair. "They do all the right things, just like the rest of your body. If it wasn't for that mouth of yours, I'd have banged your brains out by now."

Lucy snorted and rolled her eyes. "Riiiight," she said sarcastically, "Because you're a bucket of fucking sunshine. Yeah, I would  _totally_  have let you get into my pants…"

"Seemed like you were itching for just that with how you were movin'," Gajeel shot back.

"Hey, if your mouth is preoccupied, I can actually  _enjoy_  all those muscles you're sporting," Lucy said with a glare.

"Preoccupied, huh?" Gajeel asked with a salacious grin.

"Yes," Lucy huffed, her glare never wavering. "God, I fucking hate you…"

Gajeel slid a hand up to the back of her neck and brought her lips to his again, smirking when she instantly melted into him and lightly moaned. "Trust me, Bunny," Gajeel said softly, nipping at her lips again, "The feeling's mutual."

"Then what are we doing?" Lucy asked, tilting her head back when his tongue slid down her neck and his teeth nibbled on her collar bone.

"Venting our frustrations?" Gajeel asked with a chuckle.

"Mmm," Lucy hummed when his tongue dragged over a sensitive spot on her neck. "While that sounds wonderful, it's probably not the best idea."

"Why?" Gajeel asked, kissing a trail to the other side of her neck.

"Because there's nothing more than physical attraction between us," Lucy said, her hands tightening in his hair and gently pulling him away. "I'm looking for more than that."

"Then why'd you kiss me?" Gajeel asked with a smug smirk.

"Because I let my hormones get the best of me," Lucy answered with a sigh.

After a moment, Gajeel rolled his eyes. "You're a pain in my ass, you know that?"

Lucy giggled and nodded. "It's my job. Maybe even my calling in life!"

Gajeel laid his head down on her shoulder, waiting for his body to chill the hell out since she wasn't going to go any further and he wasn't going to push the subject. "Do me a favor, will ya?"

"Shoot," Lucy said, watching him shiver slightly when her nails dragged over his scalp again.

"If you decide differently, lemme know," Gajeel said with a smirk. "I'd be more than happy to fuck you with no strings, especially since I'm positive that, as soon as we're done, you'll make me wanna kill you."

Lucy laughed, dropping her head to his shoulder and shaking her head. "Sure. If I change my mind, you'll be the first to know so I can get a proper fuck."

"Damn right," Gajeel grunted, laughing along with her at the absurdity of the night.

* * *

"Hey, Gajeel?" Lucy asked when they finally left the mountain range and started walking down a winding dirt path that led to a small town a few hours away.

"Hm?"

"We're getting a room tonight, right?" Lucy asked hopefully. "I could really go for a hot shower and a bed."

"Yeah. We're stopping in town to relax for the rest of the day. We made good time, so we can take a break and head out to the forest tomorrow," Gajeel said. It had only taken them the whole day previous to get from the cave he had bandaged her up in after she was attacked to the end of the mountain range. In retrospect, Gajeel realized why it had taken so much less time: he'd been making her run as a part of her training almost every single day, and when she pissed him off he would end up chasing after her to try and beat her to a bloody pulp.

When they were halfway to the town, Lucy saw a large hill off to the left with lush green grass and small patches of the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen in her life. There weren't any trees in sight, nor were there any farms or any form of civilization. A wide grin spread across her face and she quickly grabbed Gajeel's forearm and pulled him to a stop.

"Oi, what the hell?!"

"Gajeel!" Lucy shouted, her voice filled with glee while she turned to look up at him. "Look!"

Gajeel turned his head to look at what she was pointing at, then said, "It's a hill, Bunny Girl. Are you high again?"

Lucy frowned and punched him in the ribs, jumping back quickly when he tried to backhand her. "No, I'm not high!  _You_  said that when we found a clearing out of the mountains, we could spar with magic." She rushed back over to him and wrapped her hands tightly around his muscular arm, placing her chin on his bicep and pouting to the best of her abilities, "Please, please, please?"

"Get the fuck off of me, you psycho!" Gajeel yelled, using his other hand to press against her face to try and pry her off of his arm.

"You promised!" Lucy said petulantly, gripping his arm tighter.

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Goddamnit, woman!" Gajeel yelled, "You wanna fight me so fucking bad, fine!" Gajeel pulled his fist back and slammed it into the side of Lucy's head, silently thankful that her broken bones had healed completely over the past week. The petite blonde grunted in pain and flew through the air and landed in a heap on the hill. He shifted his skin into metallic scales as he ran at her, putting on a burst of speed as soon as Lucy was on her feet and tackling her to the ground.

"What the fuck?!" Lucy screeched when her legs wrapped around Gajeel's waist and his hands roughly pinned hers to the ground.

"You said you wanted to use magic, Bunny Girl," Gajeel whispered with a sadistic grin. "So use it. I'll only use my scales since I don't want you beaten too badly when we get to town."

"I can't reach my keys, ass!" Lucy yelled, struggling in his grip and wincing when she realized just how unrelenting his metallic scales were.

"Figure it out. If I was any other enemy, I wouldn't back off so it was a fair fight. What would you do if I was an enemy?" Gajeel asked, his grin widening while she wriggled beneath him.

"I'd flip you so I could reach them," Lucy answered angrily, tightening her grip on his waist with her legs and attempting to twist her body the way he taught her. "It won't work with you. I can't move you."

"So try something else."

"Ugh, why did I have to wear a skirt today?" Lucy groaned. She thought over her limited mobility and a light bulb went off in her head.  _Gymnastics, don't fail me now!_

"Because you like letting me see that sweet ass of yours," Gajeel taunted.

"Yeah, well seeing it is all you'll get to do, needle-dick," Lucy ground out. She lifted her legs from his waist and pulled her knees tightly to her body, then set her feet on his shoulders and pushed with everything she had. And he didn't budge an inch.

"My, my," Gajeel whispered, "So flexible. The only problem with this position is that you're relying only on the strength in your legs to push me off of you. Try again."

Lucy groaned and rolled her eyes, clenching her fists and saying, "My hands are going numb, Gajeel."

"Better work fast then."

Lucy frowned and moved her legs higher, hooking her knees over his shoulders and squeezing her thighs tightly around his neck. Nothing happened.

Gajeel chuckled and shook his head. "If I bear down on you right now, I can break your neck. It's a good headlock in any other position if your opponent isn't made of metal. But, thanks for giving me a panty-shot."

"Then what the fuck am I supposed to do?!" Lucy screeched, pulling her legs back down and setting her feet on the ground with Gajeel still settled between them. "I could try and wait for a distraction, but there's nothing that's going to distract  _you_ , you single-minded asshat. I could wait for you to move in closer, but that would just give me less maneuverability; and since you're bigger and stronger, that's  _really_  not something that will work out too well for me."

"You'll have to figure it out, Bunny Girl. I'm not always gonna be there to teach you. Use your head," Gajeel said firmly.

Lucy sighed. "Well, I can't kick you in the nuts, since they're metal and they won't hurt—also, last time I tried you almost broke my foot. I can't headbutt you, because the last time I tried  _that_  I nearly passed out—and that was when you  _didn't_  have scales! I can't—" Lucy paused, then looked up into the gleaming red eyes above her. "How about a trade?" she asked.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her and said, "Trade?"

"I give you something, and you let me go. What do you say?" Lucy grinned up at him, biting her lip and watching as his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What do you have to trade with?"

Lucy wrapped her legs around Gajeel's waist, locking her ankles, then clenched her thighs and whispered, "Come closer, and I'll tell you."

"Tell me before I come closer. I don't fucking trust you," Gajeel said.

"How about…" Lucy said with a smirk, "A kiss?"

"How's that a fair trade?"

"Well, I'm curious to see what it's like with your scales, and I damn well know you want to kiss me again," Lucy reasoned.

"Sure, but how do I know I'm not getting the short end of the deal?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," Lucy said, biting her lip again.

Gajeel growled and loosened his grip on her hands, pushing himself off of her and walking back towards the dirt path. "Come on, Bunny Girl," he called back as he listened to her slowly getting up off of the grass, "We still need to get to town."

Lucy frowned and ran over to Gajeel, then fell into step beside him while she looked up at his scowling face. "What the hell?" she asked.

"What?" Gajeel asked gruffly.

"I offered to kiss you, and you walked off."

Gajeel shook his head, growling again. "Fuck, I need something to punch right now," he grumbled. Sadly, the only thing around for miles was the blonde next to him, and he couldn't hit her right then otherwise she wouldn't be alive afterwards.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked.

"You."

"Me?!" Lucy yelled incredulously, "What do you mean, me?!"

Gajeel let out a snarl and rounded on her, towering over the petite woman. "Look, I'm fine with acting like that night never happened, especially since all I want out of you is a good lay," he seethed, "But that doesn't mean I need your skanky ass holding that shit up in my fucking face like a goddamn bone just to watch me beg. You don't want just physical, and that's what I want. I get it. So stop acting like you're fine with it when the moment suits you. It's fucked up, and I'm not into fucking games."

"But—"

"No!" Gajeel yelled, "You either want to or you don't, there's really no gray area here. I mean, what is your fucking problem—"

"Gajeel, shut up," Lucy said firmly.

"—Can't even give a guy a goddamn break—"

"Gajeel! Shut up!" Lucy shouted.

"—Get me all wound up and watch me suffer. You're fucking twiste—"

Lucy pulled out her whip and lashed it across his face, silently thankful that his scales were still activated. When Gajeel focused on her again instead of his ranting, ready to knock her out for hitting him, Lucy rolled her eyes and huffed. "You're an absolute idiot, do you know that?"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing, let's just get to the town so we can get a room and actually bathe. You smell like a fucking dung heap," Lucy said, turning on her heel and stalking towards the town.

Gajeel growled and shook his head, running his hands through his hair and wondering if he should rip it out to get rid of the pounding headache the woman walking in front of him was giving him. After a moment, he took a deep breath and stalked after her.

* * *

Lucy shot up from her bedroll with a scream ripping from her throat and tears pouring down her cheeks. "Get off of me!" she yelled, swiping her hands violently down her arms and chest before she came back to reality completely. She looked around the mostly dark clearing, searching for any sort of menacing presence and clambered out of the cumbersome folds of fabric. When she heard an odd rustling noise, and a low growl, Lucy whimpered and reached for her keys only to find them missing. Lucy dove for her bedroll again trying to find her keys so she could defend herself from her nightmare and anything that might try to come after her.

"What the fuck, Bunny Girl?! You'd better be fucking dying out here!" Gajeel shouted as he stepped out of the tent. He looked around and didn't see her anywhere, then took a deep whiff of the air and smelled her tears again.

"G-Gajeel?" Lucy whispered, shaking uncontrollably while she clutched her keys to her chest and looked at the gleaming red eyes in the dark.

"Who the fuck else?!" he shouted, throwing his arms out to the sides.

Lucy hiccupped, fear radiating through her as memories of her dream came rushing back and melding with what had really happened during that first week of their mission. She wiped furiously at her eyes, trying to will away her tears, and only fought harder when she heard Gajeel click his tongue on the roof of his mouth. Lucy sniffled and forced herself to crawl back into her bedroll even though she was sure she wouldn't sleep the rest of the night. "S-Sorry," she whispered while she looked away from him, "Bad dream… I'll… I'll keep it down."

Gajeel glared at her for another second before turning around and walking back into the tent. "Crazy bitch," he muttered. He listened to Lucy's erratic heartbeat, the way her breathing was still trembling instead of calming down after a few minutes, and smelled the fear, tears, and shame wafting off of her and seeping into the tent. Gajeel's nose crinkled when her sugar-and-almond scent was clouded with those emotions, and after another fifteen minutes of those same noises and smells he stalked out of the tent and ripped her out of her bedroll.

"What the hell?!" Lucy screeched, thrashing her legs around. "Let me go!"

Gajeel threw Lucy into the tent, hearing the faint jingle of her keys that were still clutched tightly in her hand, then walked in and sat down to glare at her. "Listen, and listen good. You tell  _no one_  about this. You make a single fucking peep and it gets back to me, I'll kill you with or without Master's permission."

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked while she rubbed the sore spot on her rear from where she had hit the ground.

"You're sleeping in here."

"Where are you sleeping?"

"In here."

"Oh no!" Lucy shouted, jumping to her feet. "I'm not letting you anywhere near me while I'm sleeping! I don't need you rubbing your dick all over my ass in your sleep!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes and stood up, catching her around the waist when she tried to bolt. He pulled her tightly to his chest, clamping a hand over her mouth, and said, "Look, I really don't feel like you calling attention to where we're camping by screaming your fucking face off. Also, I can smell your fear—and if  _I_ can smell it, then so can any number of predators in the woods." He paused and took a deep breath, unconsciously leaning just a little closer when he continued, "Aside from not killing you, I've also been ordered to not let you _get_  killed—no matter how much I'd fucking love for that to happen so I don't have to listen to your bullshit anymore. So, you're sleeping in here."

Lucy glared up at Gajeel, not willing to let herself even think about how close they were currently standing, or how they were supposed to manage sleeping in a single person tent that Gajeel himself was just able to manage fitting in comfortably.

"Don't scream," Gajeel warned. When Lucy nodded, he slowly pulled his hand away from her mouth.

"How do you suggest we sleep in here?" she asked quietly, wiping away her tears again.

With a devious smirk that looked much more malicious in the dim moonlight that barely penetrated the tent, Gajeel said, "That's why I said you won't tell anyone about this or I'll kill you. Trust me, I don't like it any more than you do. We'll just suck it up and deal with it for the time being."

Lucy was still confused, since he hadn't told her what he was talking about, and felt him slowly push her towards the bedroll. She took a hesitant step, then carefully sat down before she looked up at him expectantly. "Now what?"

Gajeel rolled his eyes, walked out of the tent and grabbed her bag from by the fire, then came back in and threw it next to his in the corner. He sat down next to Lucy and glared at her. "Not a soul."

Lucy huffed and put up her pinky finger. When Gajeel stared at her like she was crazy, Lucy boldly grabbed his hand with both of hers, balled his fingers up in a fist and extended just his pinky, then wrapped her pinky around it. "Pinky promise," she said with a giggle, "I won't tell a soul about whatever is about to happen with our sleeping arrangements."

Gajeel looked down at her slender pinky wrapped around his, with her other hand still holding his other fingers down, then back up to her. Her grip on his pinky tightened, and he watched Lucy's other hand carefully move over to bend his pinky around hers. "The fuck are you doing?" he asked.

Lucy rolled her eyes and sighed. "It's a little childish, but it's a promise."

"Looks pretty childish," Gajeel muttered while he stared at their hands.

"Are you serious?" Lucy asked. "You've never made a pinky promise?"

"No. Do I look like a—you know what? Nevermind. No."

Lucy smiled while she let their hands drop, their pinkies still intertwined, and said reminiscently, "When I was younger, any time I would make a promise to my mom that was extremely important, we would make a pinky promise. It's like a little kid's version of a handshake."

"And you're making me do this because…?" Gajeel asked.

"Because you're a pain in my ass, and I was trying to be nice to you," Lucy grumbled, finally letting go of Gajeel's hand. "Bastard…"

Gajeel had no response for what she'd said, so he just let it go. This was going to be bad enough without making shit more awkward by swapping stories. "Alright, come here," he said while he laid down on his back.

Lucy's eyebrows shot up and pushed together. "Where?" she asked.

Gajeel growled in annoyance and rolled his eyes, then roughly grabbed her and pulled her down onto the bedroll with him. Lucy squeaked when she fell on top of his chest, and he just stared at her when he saw a light blush dusting across her cheeks before she scowled at him. "Here," he said smugly.

"I'm not sleeping on top of you," she hissed.

"Good, you're heavy as hell," Gajeel shot back. He wasn't expecting her to punch him in the face, but his head instantly whipped back to glare at her while he let out a snarl, baring his teeth at her like a wild animal. "Watch it, bitch," he growled threateningly.

"What did you just call me?!" Lucy shouted, pulling herself up and getting ready to hit him again. As her fist descended, Gajeel caught it and she squeaked again when suddenly he was pinning her to the floor—her wrists in each of his hands on either side of her head, his legs straddling hers—and snarling right in her face.

"Watch. It. Bitch," Gajeel growled again, his voice lowering while he tried to keep himself from snapping her in two. "Don't fuckin' hit me if you can't take a hit back."

"Who says I can't? I've taken plenty of them from you already," Lucy challenged, leaning up as much as she could and sneering at him. "Not my fault you're a pussy."

Gajeel's grip on her wrists tightened, feeling the bones shift slightly before he got himself a little more under control and loosened his grip. He continued snarling and growling at her, his breath hissing through his clenched teeth, unable to form words in that moment through the rage and hatred that was pouring from them both. "I hate you so goddamn much," he finally said through gritted teeth.

"Right there with you," Lucy agreed. "Now let me  _go._ " She struggled against the grip on her wrists, getting angrier when an almost predatory glint started shining in Gajeel's eyes. "Goddamnit, Gajeel!"

Gajeel chuckled darkly, then sat up while keeping a grip on her wrists. "I'll let it slide this time. We need to sleep," he said, his deep voice rumbling through the tent like distant thunder. "So, stop being a—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Lucy said with a huff. "You and I are gonna have to sleep next to each other. I'll just have to get over it. Can you let me go now?" Once Gajeel's hands released her, and he pulled his leg back over so he was sitting next to her, she pulled her hands down and started lightly rubbing her wrists while she glared at him. "Dick," she grumbled.

"Proud of it," Gajeel retorted as he laid back down next to her on his side so they could both fit without her being on top of him. He watched her lean down and pull the blanket of his bedroll up over both of them, then turned her back to him using her arm as a pillow. He frowned when he took a shallow breath and smelled fresh tears trying to fall from the blonde next to him. The past two nights she'd been having nightmares, tossing and turning restlessly, even whimpering a little while she cried in her sleep. She'd never woken up screaming though, and she never talked to him about it. Gajeel didn't really blame her for not talking to him, since the two of them didn't have deep conversations about a whole lot of anything—with the exception of that one night when he'd held her, and she kissed him. Based on the four words that came belting out of her when she'd finally woken up, he knew that she had to be dreaming about that night, probably reliving it in a way that made her weak and vulnerable. There wasn't a thing he knew to do about it, since the only time he'd had nightmares was just after Metallicana left, and he'd dealt with them on his own by simply ignoring them. Gajeel shook his head slightly, deciding he wouldn't bring it up unless it got worse, and closed his eyes while he tried to get himself back to sleep.

After what felt like a lifetime, Lucy sighed in frustration and tried to get more comfortable. They had left the town three days ago, and were making their way through Waas Forest to the next town where their mission was. Gajeel had finally told Lucy it was an S-Class mission, and that all he knew was they would get to kill things for a good payout. Since the day they had left the mountains, Gajeel hadn't talked about his physical attraction to her once, and Lucy let it go. She had been trying to hint at wanting to pursue that kind of relationship with him, as a way to vent her frustrations and because damn was he sexy, but it had backfired. She wanted to just come out and say it, but she wasn't sure he would believe her. So, Lucy just let herself fall back into the habit of secretly watching his muscles flexing and imagining all of those delicious piercings rubbing against her, and didn't say a single thing about wanting anything more than sidelong glances. Gajeel's breath puffed out across the back of her neck, making her twitch, and she finally elbowed him a little to make him stop.

"What did I say about hitting me, Bunny Girl?" Gajeel asked grumpily.

"I can't sleep…"

"… Why?"

"I can't get comfortable…"

Gajeel sighed and said, "Fuck, you're annoying… Roll over." When Lucy stiffened, he growled at her and said, "Just do it, alright?"

"Ugh, fine!" Lucy groaned, rolling over to face Gajeel and getting an eyeful of his completely bare chest and trying not to drool all over him or lick every inch of bare skin in front of her. She stiffened again when she felt him shift, and then scowled up at him when he flicked her forehead.

"Chill the fuck out. You wanna sleep or not?" Gajeel asked, exasperation lacing his voice. When Lucy nodded, he sighed and wrapped the arm that was under his head around her back and pulled her closer to him while he rolled onto his back. "Not a word, got it?" he asked.

Lucy looked up at his closed eyes in confusion, then nodded and laid her head on his chest with her arm wrapping around his waist. "Got it," she whispered while her eyes closed. "You're still a dick, you know."

"You're still a bitch."

"Long as we're on the same page," Lucy said with a smirk and a yawn. She snuggled closer to the warm body lying next to her, draping a leg over his and letting his metal-and-cinnamon scent wash over her. She froze for a moment when he shifted slightly, his head turning towards her and his free hand laying gently over her arm on his waist, then she sighed contentedly and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Lucy and Gajeel walked out of the mayor's office with matching scowls on their faces; Gajeel's was normal, but Lucy's was disconcerting. The pair of mages agreed to stay mostly silent while they were in the town—neither of them willing to have word get back to Master Jose about them representing the guild negatively—so Lucy sat back and let Gajeel handle the talking. He was the more experienced of the two, and the S-Class mage on the mission in the first place, so he technically ranked higher. Lucy's issue, however, was how quickly she was dismissed by the mayor himself, and told to wait outside "like a good little girl while the men were talking." She had looked at Gajeel with a raised eyebrow, silently asking what she should do only for him to give her a short nod that she should leave. She had sat outside of that room for fifteen minutes while the mayor blabbered on and on about how women shouldn't be allowed to work as mages, and that Gajeel shouldn't have wasted his time bringing his "mistress" along with him since she clearly wouldn't be of much help.

Gajeel had stayed completely silent during the entire meeting, letting the mayor do whatever he pleased. He knew it was a dick move on his part since Lucy would be able to hear what the loudmouth was saying through the door, but he wanted to get back at her for pissing him off that morning. So, he'd allowed her to be dismissed, and even went as far as smirking to show his enjoyment at how upset she was about it. If anything, her anger would be redirected towards the monsters they had to fight. After almost ten minutes of the mayor ranting and raving about the "fairer sex" being in the kitchen—among other misogynistic ideals that Gajeel couldn't give a damn about—the geezer finally got to the mission itself. Apparently, there was a group of several wolf-like beasts that were running on a rampage through the town at dusk. Gajeel originally thought the mayor was joking, until he pointed out the window to a grassy knoll just outside of the town with instructions that they hung around on the opposite side until the sun went down. Then he informed the slayer that the beasts themselves were much larger than normal wolves with odd faces, vile and vicious creatures that spared no lives. Several mages had already come through the area, all in the attempt of bringing about the beasts' demise, and they all failed.

"Can you believe that asshole?" Lucy whispered, knowing Gajeel could hear her.

"Chill, focus on the mission," Gajeel grunted. "You heard what he said?"

"Yeah, wolf-things. Are you sure I'm strong enough for this?" Lucy asked worriedly. "Maybe you should have picked a different mission…"

Gajeel waited to speak until they were away from people again, leaving the town and making their way to the grassy knoll the mayor had indicated. Once they were outside of the town's border, he placed a heavy hand on Lucy's shoulder and turned her to face him. He looked down at her worried expression, smelled the uncertainty she was feeling, and shook his head. "We haven't been training for the past two weeks for nothing, Bunny Girl," he said firmly. "I don't know what these things are, and we won't know until we see them, but Master Jose had  _me_  doing this for a reason. Don't forget what Phantom Lord's about."

"Get the job done," Lucy said with a nod. "No matter the cost."

"Exactly. The job's the priority. So, if you get hurt and I can't get to you, you're dead." Gajeel paused when he saw her bristle with fear, causing him to frown. "Same goes for me. Don't put yourself in danger just to try and save my ass. No matter what, get the job done. If you need my help, lemme know and I'll get to you as soon as possible."

"Right," Lucy said firmly, "But I can't depend on you to just show up, because you'll be busy too."

Gajeel smirked. "Now you're getting it."

Lucy nodded again, searching the fathomless garnet eyes for some sense of security. "I still think it was a mistake to bring me."

"Fuck what he said," Gajeel grunted, crossing his arms over his chest with a sigh. "You're not weak. And the two of us getting through this mission will show Master Jose the same thing. Now, why don't you show me what those spirits of yours can do? All I've seen is a maid popping out with supplies and a 'dog' that disappears as soon as it sees me."

Lucy giggled and rolled her eyes. "I'll have to tell Plue that he's safe with you around, you know."

"Don't go fucking with my reputation," Gajeel said with a frown. "I won't eat him, but that's about as far as it goes."

"Thanks, Gajeel," Lucy whispered, turning back to the hill in the distance with determination glinting in her eyes. "I'll prove to everyone I'm not weak."

"Damn straight."

As they continued making their way towards the hill, with the sun high in the sky just as it marked noon, Lucy glanced at Gajeel and said, "What do you say to a victory round at the bar before we're back in the mountains? It should give us enough time to heal from the fight."

Gajeel smirked and glanced down to meet her eyes. "Sounds good to me. Don't go dying on me, and I might even buy you a drink."

"Oh, such a romantic," Lucy chortled. "You'll just make me buy the next round for you." She shared a very subdued chuckle with Gajeel before they reached the base of the hill, then he signaled that they had to be silent while they tried to sneak up on the beasts.

Once they reached the top, Gajeel and Lucy peered down into the valley on the other side and saw four large creatures lounging on the grass while they gnawed at several deer carcasses. One lifted its head and sniffed the air, causing Gajeel to pull Lucy down and out of sight until he heard it return to its meal. The creatures themselves were about six feet long, covered in varying shades of grey and brown fur that touched every bit of them except for their faces, with bodies that very closely resembled wolves from the chest to their hind legs and tail. The front legs were less wolf-like and more humanoid, with muscular arms and five-fingered hands that sported deadly claws. They each had a long mane of fur running from just between their ears down to the mid-point of their backs. However, the most unnerving thing about these creatures was that their faces didn't match their bodies. Instead of having a wolf's face and snout, their ears and face were hairless: the ears were long and pointed, orange eyes with black sclera that were mostly overshadowed by thick eyebrows, snouts that protruded the normal distance for a wolf but held a more ape-like quality to them from the flared nostrils to the razor-sharp teeth with elongated canines that didn't allow their mouths to fully close.

Lucy frowned as she watched the beasts eating, then placed her hand on Gajeel's arm. When he looked at her, she held an imaginary key in the air and turned an invisible lock, then pointed down at the base of the hill. He nodded and she carefully crept down the hill and walked a good distance from it before quietly singling out her silver key and summoning him. "Hey, Grandpa Crux," Lucy whispered once the cross appeared, floating in the air lazily with his legs crossed.

"Hello, Miss Lucy. How can I help you?" Crux said.

Lucy gave him a description of the beasts, along with the few details of the attacks on the town they had received. "I need to know what they are, their strengths, and most importantly their weaknesses," Lucy said, "Also, they're just on the other side of the hill, so head back and let me know through your key what you've found, okay?"

"Of course, Miss Lucy," Crux said with a nod before he disappeared.

Lucy turned to see Gajeel carefully making his way down the hill toward her, and as soon as he was in earshot, she said, "Crux is going to find out what those things are. It's better if we have some sort of information going in, otherwise we'll be screwed."

"They really don't look that tough," Gajeel muttered.

"Probably not for  _you_ ," Lucy said, "But my magic calls for using tactics rather than brute force." As if to prove her point, Lucy lifted her arm in the air and poked playfully at the spindly appendage, then pointedly looked at Gajeel's bulging biceps. "See my point?"

Gajeel smirked and nodded. "How long?"

"I'm not su—Right now," Lucy said with a smile, laying a hand over Crux's key while it warmed and he told her what he'd learned. A wide smile spread across her face once he was done, and she looked excitedly up at Gajeel. "Suddenly, I don't feel so worried about this mission."

"Why's that?" Gajeel asked.

"Because those beasts are called barghests," Lucy informed him. "They're pack animals, and tend to fight like wolves by ambushing their prey. They have the ability to shape-shift from wolves into something else, but they're in their natural form right now. They're at their strongest like this, since they pull the best attributes of both species into themselves. They're vicious, and don't stop fighting until their prey is dead, but they hate direct combat and use their ability to completely mask their scent with their surroundings to sneak up on prey."

"Okay, so what's got you feeling better about it?"

"Their weakness," Lucy said proudly, lifting a silver key from her ring. She quickly summoned the spirit and threw a hand over the excited girl's mouth before she could make a peep. "Lyra, I need your help for a fight."

"A fight?" Lyra whispered with her eyebrows drawn together. "No, no… I'm not—"

"Yes, Lyra," Lucy said with a soft smile, taking her spirits hands gently in hers. "You're the only spirit I have that can help with this. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

Gajeel looked over at the spirit, and instantly recognized the harp that was strapped to the young blonde girl's back as the harp he saw the morning that Lucy was meditating. "What's the plan?" he asked, looking over at Lucy. He finally saw what she was talking about before when it came to her spirits: there was love in her eyes, like the love that someone would feel for a friend or family member, and the promise she made about keeping Lyra safe showed through her whole body.

Lucy's gentle smile never left, even when she turned to Gajeel. "Their weakness is music, specifically a lullaby. Lyra here will play it and lull them to sleep, then you and I can go in and kill them. As long as her music is playing, they won't wake up."

Gajeel chuckled and nodded approvingly. "Well, how about I go round up the cattle while you guys get up there?" he asked with a wicked grin. Once Lucy's face mirrored his own and she nodded, he started making his way up the hill with the woman and her spirit tailing him.

"Alright, Lyra," Lucy said once they reached the top, "Start playing on my signal. We want them as close as possible so your song will hit them. You stay out of sight."

Lyra nodded and pulled her harp out, ready to play a sweet lullaby once Lucy told her it was time.

Seeing the spirit ready, Gajeel winked at Lucy then turned to face the beasts as he stood up fully on the hilltop. Instantly, four sets of glowing orange eyes landed on him, and the odd yipping sounds that echoed around the valley increased in volume as they slowly stalked forward. "I need to get on the other side of them, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said with a grin. "I'll send them right this way."

Lucy nodded and quickly summoned Taurus. "Taurus, I need to you launch Gajeel over those things."

"Anything to protect Luuuucy's body!" Taurus bellowed, then scooped up Gajeel on his axe and flung him into the air.

Gajeel cackled while he arced over the advancing beasts, watching as their heads turned to keep an eye on the only prey they had seen as he flew past them. He rotated in the air and landed solidly on his feet, growling at them and preparing himself for his attack. They moved slowly, each of the beasts sensing out the best way to attack the intruder, and once they were bunched together and within range, Gajeel took a deep breath and brought both fists to his mouth. "Iron Dragon's Roar!" he bellowed, a large green magic circle appearing in front of his closed hands and issuing a flurry of metal shrapnel at the four beasts.

Lucy grinned widely when each of the barghests flew into the air from Gajeel's attack and landed in a pile of limbs, with several large gashes on some of their bodies, about fifteen feet from the top of the hill. She signaled Lyra, and the sound of the harp's sweet and soothing lullaby filled the area. Lucy kept her eyes trained on the barghests, making sure that they actually were down before she made an appearance, and saw Gajeel running towards them. Each of the four beasts were on their feet before the lullaby started, but once the first few dulcet tones rang out, they started to sway lazily from side to side. When Lyra's angelic voice came in to sing, they all dropped to the ground. "Go ahead, Taurus," Lucy said, motioning for Taurus to head over and kill two of the creatures.

Gajeel shifted his arm into a large blade and made quick work of beheading two of the creatures while Lucy's bull spirit beheaded the other two with his huge axe. Once the work was done, Gajeel stood up and took a quick whiff of the air to make sure there weren't any others lying in wait for them, then nodded to Lucy.

Lucy sent Taurus back with a quick thanks, then turned to Lyra when she stopped playing. "See? You did great," Lucy said happily. "That would have been so much harder without you, Lyra."

"Aww, thanks Lucy!" Lyra squealed. "Call me out again sometime!"

Lucy sighed contentedly when Lyra disappeared, then turned to Gajeel. "See? Tactics."

Gajeel smirked and rolled his eyes. "Tch, tactics  _and_  brute force," he corrected.

"Very true," Lucy agreed, turning back towards the town and slowly walking down the hill with the Iron Slayer next to her. "That almost feels like it was too easy," Lucy mumbled.

"Because it was," Gajeel said. "Either some seriously weak mages tried to kill those things, or they're harder than we thought and the music thing just made it simple."

Lucy giggled, then said, "Wel—" Her words were cut off as she was shoved roughly to the ground by Gajeel before a large dark brown blur flew over her head.

Gajeel snarled at the beast above him, ignoring the pain in his shoulders from the punctures of the beast's claws and barely holding its snapping jaws away from his face. He heard Lucy scream, smelled the faintest tinge of her magic in the air, and saw a golden flash out of the corner of his eye, so he could only assume there was another barghest attacking her. Gajeel shifted into his metallic scales and dug his own claws into the thing's throat, then shifted his leg into an iron pole and swiftly kicked at its hind leg, relishing the delicious snapping of the bone that resounded in his sensitive ears. With the momentary distraction of pain, Gajeel was able to throw the barghest off of him and quickly got to his feet, crouching low and sidestepping while they circled around each other.

Lucy snapped her whip at the medium-brown barghest that had tried to sneak up on her, thankful she had summoned Cancer when he dove in and the spirit started snipping the fur and nerve endings of the creature, severing the nerves in one of its front legs before jumping back to stand next to Lucy. She quickly wrapped her whip around its neck and sent Cancer back, then dove to the ground when it tried to lunge at her. She rolled down the hill with the barghest rolling right along with her. Lucy pulled herself up just in time to cry out in agony when the barghest's jaw clamped on her arm. She pulled a key out and summoned Virgo, then turned to try and get the creature's jaws off of her before it broke her arm.

Virgo's eyes hardened when she saw her Princess' predicament, and she instantly activated her Chain Magic, sending the chains at her wrists flying at the beast and wrapping tightly around its neck and torso. She pulled on the chains, tightening them and constricting its airway—along with breaking several ribs—before it finally dropped its hold on Lucy.

Gajeel sent a roar at the beast, growling when it dodged yet again. He rushed in and shifted his arm into a sword, extending it while he slashed down at the barghest's neck. It tried to dodge again, but one kick from his leg-turned-iron-pole made sure the hit struck its target. The head was instantly severed and Gajeel dropped to his knees to catch his breath, only to also inhale the overpowering scent of Lucy's blood in the air.

"Punish it, Virgo," Lucy cried out as she jumped on the beast's back, wrapping her whip around its neck several times and pulling tightly. Virgo's chains were still squeezing the life out of it at its neck and torso, but it wasn't dying fast enough. Pain lanced through Lucy's arm when she moved it to pull tighter on the whip, and a quick glance showed her several gaping holes from her wrist to her shoulder where its teeth had punctured her arm. A twisted grin, bordering on insanity, spread across her face when she saw that a tooth had broken off in her arm, and she gave up on the whip to rip the tooth from her body. Lucy couldn't stifle the scream at the pain it caused, but didn't she pause in her actions. Since Cancer had cut most of the fur off of the barghest, Lucy was able to see a weak spot in the flesh where its temple should be. Her legs tightened around its neck, and she gripped the tooth in both hands before violently plunging it into that soft tissue. It yelped in pain, falling to the ground but still alive, so Lucy ripped the tooth out and threw it onto the ground, then punched the hole she'd made with all her might. Lucy grimaced when her hand broke through the flesh and skull, and was instantly surrounded by soft tissue. She grabbed a hold of whatever she could and yanked her hand free, only to see that she had in fact torn out a portion of the thing's brain.

The beast was still writhing on the ground, even with part of its brain missing, so Virgo pulled on the chains once more and finally had enough power to snap its neck. Once it was dead, she made her way over to Lucy's side and reached her Princess at the same time as the Iron Slayer. "Princess, do you need me to attend your wounds?" she asked.

"I'll be… Fine… Virgo," Lucy answered weakly, wobbling on her feet a little and holding her injured arm to her chest.

Gajeel caught Lucy when she stumbled, and held her tightly to his chest while he looked up at Virgo. "We'll need our bags, Virgo," he said. "We're staying in town tonight. She's gonna need stitches."

Virgo nodded and disappeared, grabbing the first aid kit, then reappeared on the hill. She set the kit down on the ground and looked at Gajeel for a moment, then said, "Once you are settled, I will open my gate to bring your bags. Would you like for me to tend her wounds?"

Gajeel nodded at Virgo, then carefully knelt down with Lucy. "You alright, Bunny Girl?" he asked, pushing a few stray hairs from her face while Virgo got everything ready.

Lucy nodded weakly and smiled. "How'd I do?"

"Pretty damn good," Gajeel said. "Virgo's gonna check out your arm, okay?" He carefully adjusted her in his arms so she was facing sideways, and looked at the extent of her injuries. There were three large punctures on one side of her arm, and two on the other; one of them was torn open worse than the others, but Gajeel knew it was from when Lucy pulled that tooth out of her arm. Once his fight was finished, he'd smelled her blood and looked down to see the maid spirit's chains wrapped around the beast, and Lucy choking it with her whip while she was on its back. She was struggling, and he saw the blood pouring down her arm with every move she made, but he hadn't expected her to smile the way she had, rip a damn tooth out of one of the punctures, and stab the thing in the head even though she was in excruciating pain. When it fell to the ground, Gajeel thought she would leave it, but he'd been sorely mistaken: Lucy punched it and ripped its brain out, not even flinching when blood splattered all over her or when she looked down at the grey clump in her hand.

"Gajeel," Lucy whispered, "I'm really tired."

"You can't go to sleep, Bunny," Gajeel said while Virgo made quick work of cleaning her arm. "Virgo's gotta give you stitches."

"I hate stitches," Lucy pouted lazily. She slowly reached up and grabbed Gajeel's hand with her uninjured side, then pulled it close to her chest and kissed his knuckles. She tensed when Virgo started sewing her wounds shut, and Lucy's eyes clenched while she squeezed Gajeel's hand, refusing to make a single sound if she could help it.

"Last one," Gajeel whispered after a few minutes, rubbing soothing circles on Lucy's back without a second thought. He felt Lucy nod against his chest, and watched as Virgo expertly sewed the last wound closed, then quickly bandaged Lucy's arm and put it in a sling.

"Your shoulders," Virgo said while she looked over at Gajeel.

Gajeel looked down at his shoulders and shrugged. "I'll clean them up later."

Virgo nodded and said, "Princess has lost quite a bit of blood, so she will be weak for a period of time. Please take care of her. I will return so her magic is no longer strained, allowing her to heal faster." With one last bow, and a weak smile from Lucy before she left, Virgo disappeared.

"I'm sorry I got hurt again," Lucy whispered, not willing to let go of Gajeel's hand while she held it close to her.

"You're not the only one, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said with a smirk, "Yours is worse, but you'll live. Now how about we get our reward and go get some rest?"

Lucy nodded and carefully stood up, finally letting go of Gajeel's hand so he could help stabilize her as they made their way back to town. "You can just leave me at the hotel, Gajeel," she said as they walked into the town. "The mayor—"

"That mayor is gonna see what a real mage looks like after kicking some serious ass," Gajeel interjected sternly. "That pompous piece of shit talked my damn ear off earlier about how weak women are, so why don't you prove his ass wrong by coming in with me?"

"Because he'll just think I got hurt and you protected me," Lucy answered.

Gajeel sighed and shook his head, "Bunny Girl, listen to me. If you start letting people calling you weak get to you, then you  _are_  weak." When Lucy flinched, his voice softened just a little as he added, "I've seen you out there firsthand, sparred with you, and trained you. You're  _not_ weak, no matter what anyone else says. If someone doesn't believe you, then make them eat their fucking words."

Lucy smiled up at Gajeel and nodded. "You're right, Gajeel. Thanks for that." She looked over to see the door to the mayor's office looming in front of them, and her smile turned decidedly more devious. "Let's do it."

The pair of mages made their way inside, with Lucy leaning against Gajeel so she didn't fall over and him secretly enjoying how her body felt pressed against his. They sat in the lobby for a few minutes before Gajeel looked down at Lucy and said, "You still feeling okay?"

Lucy nodded while her head rested on Gajeel's arm and said, "Yeah, Virgo's not draining my magic now so I feel a little better." She tried to sit up so she wasn't using Gajeel as a pillow, and was caught in a sudden bout of dizziness. Throwing her good hand to her head, Lucy closed her eyes in the hopes of the room not spinning anymore.

"Come here, Bunny Girl," Gajeel whispered, pulling her gently against his side and lightly wrapping his arm around her waist. "Don't push yourself, otherwise I'll be drinkin' alone."

Lucy sighed and laid her head on his shoulder, keeping her eyes closed and taking deep breaths filled with metal-and-cinnamon and fresh sweat. "Wouldn't want Black Steel Gajeel to have to drink all by his lonesome, now would we?" Lucy joked halfheartedly.

"Exactly, then who would I drink under the table?" Gajeel asked with a smirk.

"You only want to drink so you can  _get_  me under a table," Lucy shot back softly, smirking to herself.

Gajeel's eyes narrowed at her statement; it had been the first time she'd said anything remotely close to his attraction towards her since he blew up at her a few days ago, but even though it sounded like she was trying to rub it in his face, it felt like there was something more to it that he wasn't seeing. Before he could say anything in return, the mayor toddled out of his office wiping a few crumbs from his moustache and off of his rotund belly. "He's here," Gajeel whispered, lightly nudging Lucy and helping her stand up.

The mayor raised an amused eyebrow at the pair of Phantom Lord mages. "Well, I see you've completed the mission. Hopefully your young friend here wasn't too hard to protect," he said while looking at Gajeel. "She really shouldn't have been out there at all, you know."

"She did just fine," Gajeel answered with a sneer.

"She can hardly stand," the mayor pointed out, though he didn't offer to let the girl sit back down either. "Covered in blood, dirty, injured, and on the verge of passing out. I'm surprised you two came back so quickly, but this surely isn't the way your guild operates."

Gajeel growled, the sound reverberating through his chest and into Lucy's head. She lifted her head and scowled at the mayor, and took a step forward with a deadly glint in her eyes. "I will have you know,  _Mister Mayor_ , that it was my magic that made the job as simple as it was. You have no clue what we had to do out there, because you were too busy sitting in your office jerking off to Sorcerer's Weekly magazines and eating doughnuts. I might be injured right now, but so is my partner. I did no less work than he did on this mission, and we will  _not_  listen to you berating our guild. We came back to collect our reward, and to give you and this shitty little town some piece of mind that the job's finished!" Her voice had risen to a shout while she glowered at him, but she took a deep breath and added in a terrifyingly soft voice, "You would do well to remember that we're part of Phantom Lord. We get the job done, and if  _you_ don't like the mages that come to do it then you should shut the fuck up and keep your goddamn opinions to yourself. Our guild doesn't allow the weak to join, so don't underestimate us again."

Gajeel smirked and watched the mayor go from unimpressed to ashamed, then scared and pale to downright terrified while Lucy spoke. The mayor stuttered out a quick apology and excused himself for only a moment while he went to get their reward. He came back with the bag of jewels in his hand and stuttered another apology before bowing and wishing the mages well on their journey. Gajeel leaned forward and took the reward, then said, "You might want to remember not to piss of Phantom Lord's resident bitch in the future." When the mayor nodded, Gajeel grinned darkly as he let Lucy lean against him again and led her out of the building.

Once they had gotten to the hotel, Gajeel helped Lucy to the bed and sat her down so he could jump in the shower to rinse off. As soon as he was finished, he turned on the bath water and got everything set up for the exhausted blonde, then walked out into the room to see her sitting in the same position and staring at the floor. "Gajeel?" Lucy whispered, looking meekly up into the Slayer's eyes.

"Come on, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said while he helped her stand up and make her way to the bathroom. Instead of leaving once she was in there, he led her over to take a seat on the edge of the tub.

"Do you think Master's going to be upset when he hears about what I said?" Lucy asked, leaning down carefully to remove her shoes and socks.

"If he is, I'll back you up on it," Gajeel said, kneeling down in front of her and helping her get the sling off. "That guy needed to hear it, and you were defending the guild, so I think he'll be fine with it. Plus, he knows you've got as bad a mouth on you as I do. At least you didn't hit the guy."

Lucy giggled while she watched Gajeel slowly lifting her shirt, keeping his eyes directed only on hers while he helped her undress. She pulled her uninjured arm, then her head, out of the fabric and said, "Wait, you hit a client?"

Gajeel carefully slid the shirt down her bandaged arm and threw it onto the ground, and nodded. His fingers itched to feel her smooth skin while he reached one hand behind her and popped the clasp of her lime green satin bra, but he refrained from touching her too much and said, "Yeah, guy said I didn't fit in too well with high class or some shit. Got my reward and knocked his ass out."

Lucy laughed and shook her head, ignoring how much she liked how Gajeel's fingers felt while he pulled down the bra straps. Once her breasts were bared, Lucy's good arm instantly moved up to cover her nipples—since there wasn't much else she  _could_  cover—and she said, "I've always hated people like that. The ones that look down on everyone else just because they have more money. It doesn't make them any different, but I guess they just get this twisted idea that it does."

"Well, Master Jose kicked my ass after he found out I attacked a client," Gajeel said while his hands slid across the top of Lucy's skirt to try and blindly find a zipper or button, "Said it didn't matter what the client did or said, I wasn't allowed to hit them unless they physically attacked me first." Gajeel frowned and finally looked away from Lucy's face down at her hips and said, "How the fuck do you get this thing off?"

Lucy smiled warmly at his confusion, then said, "It stretches so you can just pull it down."

"Could have told me that sooner," Gajeel grumbled.

Lucy shrugged nonchalantly and slowly stood up. "Maybe I liked having your hands on me."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed at her in a glare, then he shook his head and hooked his fingers under the waistband of her skirt and panties and slowly slid them down her legs. He held his breath and turned to look at the ground when her clothes bared her very lickable hips and the little golden curls he'd barely glimpsed only once before. Since he refused to breathe, he couldn't smell her overwhelming arousal while she looked down at him, but he grimaced when his pants tightened as he felt the smooth skin of her thighs under his hands. Once the fabric was pooled around her feet, Gajeel's hands instantly moved back up to her hips while she carefully stepped out of the little pile, and he slowly stood up to help her get into the bath. She lowered herself, his hands still keeping her steady and submerging under the water, and he heard a contented sigh slip past her lips once she was seated. Gajeel pulled his hands from the water and grabbed a towel. He folded it over and laid it on the edge of the tub, then carefully set Lucy's injured arm on it. "Keep the bandages dry," he said gruffly, "No water on the stitches until it's time to take them out."

"Thanks, Gajeel," Lucy whispered, running the thumb of her injured hand over his knuckles when his hand lingered just within her reach. She frowned when he quickly pulled away and turned to walk out of the room mumbling something about ordering some food and telling her not to drown in the bath.  _What is his problem?_ , Lucy thought while she soaked in the bath. After their battle, Gajeel was tender and caring with her, holding her closely and soothing her while Virgo stitched her arm up and even letting her use him as a crutch while they made their way back to town since she was still dizzy from blood loss. She wasn't trying to put any emotional connotation to his actions, since she knew the only emotion they felt for each other was irritation and sometimes full-blown hatred. She knew that he was helping her because he was ordered to make sure she didn't die, but she also knew that he could just as easily have let her fend for herself earlier since Virgo was there, and he definitely hadn't been ordered to hold her that night she was attacked. She could tell he was still attracted to her if his reaction to undressing her just then was any indication, but he was also fighting to keep himself from looking at her or even being aroused by the sight of her naked body. It was so confusing that Lucy decided she just needed to give it some time to see what would happen.

Gajeel ran a hand through his hair after he ordered their room service. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore just how enticing Lucy was, and no matter how much he couldn't stand the woman he still wanted to feel every inch of her flesh under his hands while he drew every last scream of ecstasy out of her. He glared at the tent in his pants, wishing it would just go the hell away. For the first time in a very long while he wasn't in control of his hormones, and was on the verge of dropping his pants right then and giving himself a quick rub-and-tug to alleviate some of the pressure building inside of himself. Running both hands through his hair, Gajeel paced back and forth across the small room, then glared at the bed—the only bed in the room since there was only one room available. He was going to have to either sleep next to the busty blonde that had his blood boiling in more ways than one, or he would be sleeping on the floor.  _Fuck the floor, that shit's uncomfortable as hell._

He listened to the bathroom intently for a moment, and didn't hear a single thing aside from a relaxed sigh from the naked blonde he kept fantasizing about.  _You_ _just_ _ **had**_ _to help her get into the bath,_  he berated himself,  _Good job, ass. Now you're gonna have a raging boner all fucking night._  With another shake of his head, in a vain attempt to clear his thoughts, Gajeel sighed and decided he'd need to handle himself before she came out of the bathroom and their food got there. He walked over to the door, quickly opened it, and put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the handle so they would leave the food outside after a single knock to announce its arrival, then grabbed a few tissues and leaned against the wall close to the bathroom so he could hear any noises that would indicate Lucy was done in the bath. "Can't believe I'm fucking doing this," Gajeel muttered to himself as he unbuttoned his pants and pulled his rock hard member out of his boxers. He put his fist up to his mouth and quickly spit into it, then instantly dropped it to his manhood and started stroking himself. It was slow and tentative at first while he primed himself for the onslaught of erotic images he knew would surface, and with each passing second he found it more and more difficult to suppress any images of Lucy in every position imaginable.

It had been a while since he'd had the need to get himself off, especially since he usually just found some random chick in a bar and got the job done. Now, he had a nice hot piece of ass that was completely naked on the other side of the door, and there was no way for him to relieve this tension that  _she_  was to blame for. There wasn't much that he had to imagine when it came to Lucy's body; he'd seen her almost completely naked when she returned from her first mission in her tattered clothes, saw her and held her in nothing more than a bra and panties, felt how soft her skin was under his hands. He knew his way around her lips and tongue, how sweet she tasted when he nipped along her collar bones. Gajeel's eyes closed and his head carefully tipped back against the wall so he didn't make a noise, with his lips clamped shut and pulled between his teeth while he fantasized about her. He heard her light moans echoing from his memory of their kiss, and his hand tightened its grip while he started pumping faster, his hips twitching slightly every time his calloused fingers grazed his flared head. He let himself get lost in the way his fingers glided across the piercings in his shaft, picturing her much smaller hand doing just the same thing.

Gajeel's thumb brushed over the tip, swiping the small drop of pre-cum down onto himself when the single knock sounded at the door. It was hardly loud enough for even him to hear, but it let him know that he needed to finish things soon. He could smell her arousal almost as if his nose was buried between her legs, and it made him gasp with just how realistic it was. His mind whirled with images of Lucy while his hips started flexing faster and harder into his hand, and he quickly bent his head forward to let another drop of saliva fall onto his open palm. He pictured her on the bed they would be sleeping in tonight, lying on her back underneath him with her legs spread wide while he slammed himself deep within her. Her back arched under his touch when he tweaked one nipple between his fingers, and he could hear her screaming his name. In Gajeel's mind, Lucy's walls started tightening in time with his release, urging him to please her with everything he had. Her nails dug into his shoulders while they switched positions, with her quickly bouncing on top of him and her lips crashing against his. Each whimper he pulled from her had his hand moving faster over himself while he fought to stifle a groan, and just barely succeeded. He tightened his grip again and plunged only his head into her imagined entrance over and over to tease the little vixen and make her beg. Gajeel could hear her voice as clear as day while she moaned and cursed with each thrust, and when her eyes widened and her body tensed up around him, he knew he'd be rewarded soon. One, two, three more thrusts into that delicious cavern in his mind, and Gajeel's other hand shot up to catch his climax in the tissues while he exhaled sharply and shuddered with each violent pulse. "Fuck," Gajeel whispered, shivering when he squeezed every last drop from his member from the base to the tip. He took a few shaky breaths and heard the drain on the bathtub being pulled. Even though his body didn't want to move at all, Gajeel tucked his softening member back into his boxers and did up his pants while he forced himself to walk over to the trash can and throw away the sullied tissues. The water was still going down the drain when he got back to the door, and he silently pulled the food inside while leaving the sign up without a second thought. The pair of mages had one hell of a fight and both needed to rest, so he didn't see any reason for someone to interrupt them unless it was an absolute emergency.

Lucy's bath was perfectly relaxing, aside from the throbbing pain in her arm from her bite wounds, and she felt revitalized enough to try and get out of the tub herself instead of relying on Gajeel to help her.  _He told me himself that he won't always be around,_  she reminded herself sternly,  _I can't let myself get too comfortable, otherwise I might start to depend on him too much._  She carefully pulled herself up from the bathtub and sat down on the edge with her feet on the floor while she dried herself off. She bent over and started at her feet, then slowly made her way up until she was finally drying her hair. A small wave of dizziness washed over her, but she brushed it aside since it wasn't nearly as bad as earlier in the day. Lucy stood to her feet and had to catch herself on the bathroom counter, and when she looked into the mirror she saw that she had gone pale just as shivers started wracking her body. It almost felt like she was going to vomit, so she slowly bent over the sink and rinsed her face with cool water, patting some of it on the back of her neck and down onto her chest. When she was upright again, Lucy wrapped the towel tightly around her chest and then started making her way to the door.

After a couple steps, she remembered that her clothes were still in a heap on the floor, so she thoughtlessly whirled around and bent down to grab them. When she stood back up, a stronger wave of dizziness crashed through her and Lucy fell to her knees, dropping her clothes and hearing her keys clanging against the cool tile of the floor. She grimaced at the thought of trying to move, but she stubbornly grabbed her clothes again and shakily stood to her feet. Neither she nor Gajeel had thought to grab a spare set of clothing for her before her bath, so she had to get out into the room to get changed before she could lie down. It was exactly five steps for her to get from where she was to the door of the bathroom. Five measly steps. She took the first two with little more than a slight tremble to her legs, the third was definitely shaky, the fourth a wobble, and the final step when she would have opened the door left her with legs like jelly that buckled instantly. She fell into the door with her good arm used to brace herself and groaned while she slid to the ground.

"Bunny Girl," Gajeel called from the other side of the bathroom door, frowning when he listened to the rapid beating of her heart and her shallow breathing, "You alright in there?"

Lucy shook her head, feeling another wave of vertigo coming on while she leaned against the door. "N-No," she said, though her voice seemed thick and distant. "Gaj…eel…"

Gajeel quickly turned the knob and went to open the door, only to meet resistance. He pushed again, and then realized she must have collapsed right in front of the damn thing. "Bunny, I need you to move away from the door. I can't open it," he said calmly.

"So… dizzy…" Lucy murmured, closing her eyes and pushing her eyebrows together to try and find enough strength to move. She found herself in a corner and carefully moved along the adjacent wall until she thought she was far enough away for Gajeel to get into the bathroom. "Okay," she whispered, hoping it was loud enough for him to hear her.

Gajeel turned the knob and pushed the door open, then looked down at the floor to see Lucy as pale as a ghost, panting, with her eyes closed while she leaned against the wall just inside the bathroom. He dropped to his knees beside her and brushed her hair away from her forehead. No fever. He checked her cheeks, which weren't flushed, her neck and even her chest. No fever. It couldn't be an infection from the bite.  _She lost a lot of blood though,_  his subconscious reminded him. "Bunny," Gajeel whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear and watching her intently while she slowly turned her head to rest her clammy cheek in his hand.

Lucy forced her eyes open and saw worry in Gajeel's gaze. "Sorry," she whispered. "Didn't… want to… bother you."

Gajeel frowned and shook his head, then pulled her closer and lifted her in his arms. He took long strides over to the bed and carefully laid the towel-clad woman down, then sat down on the edge of the bed. "You're hurt, so you wouldn't be bothering me if you asked for help," he said. "Do you want my help, Bunny Girl?"

Lucy frowned at him and nodded, then shook her head no.

Gajeel couldn't help but chuckle a little bit and asked, "Mind clarifying?"

"I want your help," Lucy said slowly, sighing when she started to feel a little better as the worst of her dizziness went away, "But I have to deal with my own problems. You won't always be there, remember?"

Gajeel nodded, then got up to get her some clothing from her bag. He stopped just before he opened it, then sighed and pulled out a pair of underwear on the very top of the clothing inside before grabbing a shirt of his from his own bag.  _I_ _ **really**_ _don't feel like going through her shit to find clothes._  When he came back he set everything down on the bed next to her and said, "True, I won't. Only problem with your logic is that if I  _wasn't_  here, you'd be in a hospital. So, either way you'd have someone helping you."

Lucy sighed and nodded, then closed her eyes. "Guess you're right… I just don't want to be a burden, especially since you're already being forced to work with me. I just want to pull my own weight."

"So, buy me an extra round when we're out drinking," Gajeel reasoned with a smirk. He picked up the red satin boyshorts and carefully put her feet through the holes, then pulled them up to the tops of her thighs. "Lift your ass, Bunny Girl."

Lucy giggled and planted her feet on the bed dramatically, keeping her eyes closed, then lifted her pelvis into the air just enough for Gajeel to pull her underwear up the rest of the way. She shivered while his fingers ran under the waistband to make sure it wasn't bunched up, and practically fainted when he did the same thing to the bottom hems just on her thighs and around to her backside. Once his hands pulled away, Lucy slowly lowered herself to the bed again, completely unaware of the fact that her towel had actually fallen open at her hips when she'd lifted herself up, giving Gajeel a perfect view of her womanhood.

Gajeel's jaw had fallen open when her towel moved, and it took everything in him to keep himself seated right where he was instead of diving in to lick and suck every inch of that decadent oasis between her legs. He hadn't been able to stop himself from running his hands over her just a little when he fixed her underwear, but her reaction to his touch had him wishing he'd left her in the bathroom to rot.  _Too damn sexy for her own good,_  he thought while he picked his jaw back up and forced himself to grab his shirt from the bed. "Arms," he said.

Lucy peeked one eye open with a smirk and lifted her arms in the air with her wrists hanging limply, then said, "Yes,  _sir_."

Gajeel chuckled again and slid her hands through the sleeves. The black fabric pooled around her chest, but he gently wrapped one arm around her shoulders and lifted her into a sitting position, then put the shirt on the rest of the way.

"Why does my shirt smell like you, Gajeel?" Lucy asked, still with only a single eye open to look at him.

"Because it's my shirt," Gajeel said, "I'm not going through your bag. That's a whole new level of creepy that I won't even touch."

Lucy opened her other eye and then rolled both of them while she said, "I've lost count of how many times you've taken my clothes off or put them on, Gajeel. I think grabbing something for me to wear is alright."

"Yeah well… get rid of the towel before you soak my shirt," Gajeel said while turning to look the other way.

Lucy sighed and reached under the shirt with her good arm, quickly loosened the towel, then smirked as she pulled it from herself and threw it on Gajeel's head. "All done," she said happily.

Gajeel could have died and gone to heaven with how thick her scent was on that towel. All he'd wanted to do was yell at her, but when he inhaled to do just that, there it was: sugar and almonds. He slowly pulled the towel from his head, then glared at her before he took it into the bathroom. He saw her dirty clothes on the ground just inside the door along with her belt, keys, whip, and sling. He stepped over them, hung up the towel, and then took a minute to wash the spit off of his hand from his earlier perverse hiccup. Once his hands were dried, he grabbed her stuff and walked back into the room to stop dead in his tracks when he saw her carefully walking over to the table where he'd set their food down.  _Fuck she looks good in my shirt,_  he thought. Her blonde hair was mostly dry, and hanging around her shoulders, her breasts filled his shirt out pretty well and made it ride dangerously high on her lightly tanned thighs. He snapped himself out of his perusal and put her things next to her bag, then sat down at the table with her. All he could hope was that he would fall asleep quickly while he was lying next to her later on.

 


	4. Arc 1: Lemon Lake

 

Lucy slowly regained consciousness, gently drifting from her dream of being with the stars in the sky to looking at the backs of her eyelids. After she and Gajeel had eaten, she had felt much better and the short walk from the table to the bathroom to brush her teeth proved to be a success when she didn't get dizzy at all. Still, she was careful while she walked back over to the bed, holding onto the walls or random pieces of furniture while she made her way to lie down. Gajeel was already in the bed himself, sitting with his back against the headboard and watching her cautiously just in case she fell over and needed his help. While a small part of her was blushing like a schoolgirl over him keeping an eye on her, everything else inside of her said that he should trust her to take care of herself since she'd said she was feeling better. The bed was large enough that they could both sleep on their backs with space between them, so Lucy had crawled into the bed and passed out almost instantly after thanking him for his help.

Now that she was awake Lucy's arm was throbbing, and she knew that she would need to take some painkillers as soon as she was motivated enough to get out of the bed. She stretched, humming lightly when she felt several vertebrae in her back popping and sending waves of relief through her body, and that was when she noticed the heavy arm wrapped around her middle. There was a broad chest pressed to her back, muscular thighs right against the backs of her own slender ones, and the steady breathing of the allegedly intimidating Dragon Slayer puffing out across her scalp from where his nose was nestled in her hair. She tried to pull herself carefully away from his embrace, a light blush on her cheeks when she realized he had rolled over to curl around her and not the other way around. Just when she thought that she was free, Gajeel's arm tightened around her waist and pulled her closer to him, his hand lazily slid up her body to rest just under her breasts, and his face nuzzled against her head and pushed his nose further into her hair.

Lucy had never been held like this by a man, and she couldn't stop herself from letting out a small smile at how wonderful it felt. She intentionally refused to acknowledge that it was Gajeel holding her while she let herself sink further into his embrace, because if she did then it would ruin the moment. She couldn't really deny it for long when she absently started tracing the piercings on his muscular forearm, and she heard a rumbling in his chest that was completely different from any growl he'd ever let out before. Lucy bit down on her lips to stifle the giggling fit she wanted to fall into when she realized he was almost purring. It wasn't sweet and innocent like a cat in the slightest, and it still held the gravelly bass of his own voice, but it was absolutely precious to think that Black Steel Gajeel would sound like that just from having her touching his arm.

Slowly, and without trying to figure out why she was doing it, Lucy's hand slid down his arm until she touched the back of his hand. She laced her fingers with his and felt his hand tighten lazily while that purring noise behind her got louder. She had no clue how long she laid there with Gajeel holding her and her eyes closed, but she was in such a strange state of half-consciousness by the time he woke up that she couldn't even find it in herself to care about his reaction. She smirked when he stretched behind her and instantly went back to curling around her, and figured that he must be doing the same thing she had done when she woke up. After a few minutes of him not moving, though she could tell he hadn't gone back to sleep, she whispered, "Morning."

"It's almost time for dinner, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said with a voice thick from sleep. He couldn't figure out how or why he was cuddling with the blonde, but he was honestly way too comfortable to care right then. Just waking up to a nose full of her scent had his whole body completely relaxed, and it took her actually speaking for him to realize that he was almost touching her chest while she held his hand.

Lucy rolled her eyes and sighed, "You know what I mean, dick cheese."

"How can you just wake up and start insulting people?" Gajeel grumbled.

"It's an art," Lucy shot back. "Besides, there aren't any people here… I'm only insulting you." She winced when her arm started throbbing more insistently, and realized she probably shouldn't have been sleeping on that side to begin with. She carefully let Gajeel's hand go and rolled onto her other side, letting her bandaged arm drape over his waist.

"The fuck, Bunny Girl. I'm not a pillow."

"I slept on my arm, and it hurts," Lucy said softly. "At least I wasn't smelling you in your sleep."

"That's not what I was doing, ya little twat," Gajeel grunted.  _Not my fault she smells fucking delicious._

Lucy shrugged and laid her forehead against Gajeel's bare chest, then said, "I'll get up in a minute. I'm comfy again."

"I'm still not a fucking pillow."

"You're right. Pillows don't  _talk_  nearly as much as you do."

"If you're hearing pillows talking, then you're insane."

Lucy frowned and pinched Gajeel's side, then instantly regretted it when his hand shot up from her waist to clamp down roughly on her bandaged arm. "Fuck! Let go!" she yelled, not giving him a chance to react and biting his chest since it was the only thing she could reach.

"Stop biting me!" Gajeel growled.

"Let. Go. Of. Me," Lucy said with her teeth still clamped around the skin. She bit down a little harder and heard him growl, and then he tightened his own grip on her making her whimper. "You're. Hurting. My. Arm. Asshole."

"Keep licking me like that and your arm won't be the only thing that's hurting," Gajeel growled when he let go of her arm and yanked on her hair to pull her away from his chest. The last thing he needed was for her to bite him like that again, or for her tongue to be anywhere  _near_  him. While her teeth on his skin like that had only made him furious, the instant her tongue and lips started caressing his skin while she talked had him fighting to keep his hands to himself.

"Why, are you gonna rip out my tongue?" Lucy spat, glaring at him with eyes full of the pain she was in.

Gajeel grinned maliciously and he pulled on her hair just a little more before he leaned in to hover over those tempting little lips of hers. Her mouth opened on instinct when he'd pulled, but he heard her breath stutter when she realized how close he was. "Don't tempt me, Bunny Girl. I might just do that."

Lucy couldn't move at all, not with how close his lips were to hers. She itched to close that distance and claim his mouth with her own, but his grip on her hair was unrelenting. "Let go of me, Gajeel. I need to check my arm out," she said angrily. Yet again, her body's reaction to him was drowned out by something else—though this time it was the pulsing pain in her arm rather than her own logic.

"You're not bleeding," Gajeel said when he let her hair go and laid back down on the bed. When she looked at him in confusion, he pointed to his nose, then added, "Go change the bandages though. Let me know if you need help."

Lucy sighed and slowly sat up, checking to make sure she didn't get dizzy again. When she was perfectly fine, she stood up and made her way to the bathroom, mumbling, "Yeah, because I want some cheeky bastard helping me when  _he's_  the one that made it hurt so fucking bad…"

Gajeel sighed when the door to the bathroom closed, then rubbed his eyes and stared at the ceiling. While it was true that he hadn't meant to hurt her arm when she was already in pain, she had started it. He thought over how he'd woken up with her in his arms, how easily she had molded to him, and even how he didn't really mind feeling her hand wrapped around his that way. They had fallen asleep on their backs, with her passing out instantly and him getting up after watching her sleep only to take another shower in ice cold water before he could finally pass out himself. She hadn't seemed to mind lying next to him like that, and he knew that she had already been mostly awake when he finally came to, so that could only mean that she had grabbed his hand intentionally. All he needed was for her to say that she wanted a purely physical relationship—no hearts and romance, no trying to get to know one another and going on dates, just pure sex and all those wonderful screams that he knew he could pull out of her—and he'd jump at the chance for it.  _All she has to do is give me the word, and she'll be on her back in no time flat._

* * *

Lucy and Gajeel took their time getting back to the mountains, deciding to spend an entire week in Waas Forest between the town their mission was in and the final town before they were cut off from civilization by the mountain range so that they could train in a different setting. Gajeel had called Master Jose to inform him that the mission was completed and that Lucy was still undergoing training. When the guildmaster had asked how her training was going and how she performed during the mission, Gajeel gave him vague yet positive reviews and said he would get a full report on her progress once they were back in Oak Town.

"Gajeel, all the blood in my body is rushing to my face!" Lucy griped while she continued doing her inverted sit-ups while dangling from a branch. They were on their last day in the forest before heading to the town and finally having that post-mission drink. Gajeel had been adamant about her training even though she was still injured, but he'd made sure to give her things to do that wouldn't hurt her arm or prolong her healing. Thankfully, that morning Virgo had come out to remove Lucy's stitches, so she was keeping a bandage on her arm for the next few days until everything was fully healed. "Can't I stop yet?"

"Nope," Gajeel answered. "Not unless you want to try them a different way."

"Will I be upside down?"

"No, but these are harder in some ways," Gajeel said while he finished his last set of push-ups. "Plus, you'll probably throw a tantrum about me being a perv for even suggesting it."

"Well, you're a huge fucking pervert!" Lucy shouted, pulling herself up one last time. She grabbed the branch and pulled her feet down slowly, then dropped to the ground to glare at the Slayer. "I call 'em like I see 'em."

"I guess you want to switch then," Gajeel chuckled. "Really, Bunny Girl… You should have let me explain it before you decided."

Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes. "Too late now. I'm not getting back in that damn tree."

"You asked for it…" Gajeel slowly stood up and wiped his hands on his pants, then picked up a towel to wipe away the sweat on his face. "Stretch and get some water," Gajeel said while he took a large gulp of his own. Lucy nodded at him and he watched her start drinking her water, then said, "Alright, doing them this way will work on your abs, back, ass, and thighs. You can switch it up to work on your obliques if you want, but we're not gonna worry about that today."

Lucy nodded again, put her water bottle down, then started stretching out her sides and stomach. "So, what do I have to do?"

"They're called Suspended Sit-Ups," Gajeel said with a smirk. "You can only do them with a partner."

"Why?"

"You'll see once you're ready," Gajeel said as Lucy rolled her eyes and huffed at him while she finished the last of her stretches. Once she was done, he stalked over to her and quickly scooped her up in his arms so that her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, her hands instantly going to his shoulders while she squeaked in alarm.

"Gajeel! Put me down!" Lucy yelled. "And get your hands off my ass!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes and glared at her, then said, "Step one: You wrap your legs around my waist. Step two: I spread my legs so I'm stable, and squat down into a horse stance." He paused and spread his legs so his feet were more than shoulder-width apart, then carefully lowered himself and Lucy until his thighs were parallel to the ground.

"You're fucking kidding me, right?" Lucy asked, fighting her blush when she realized that doing sit-ups this way was going to make her rub all over his crotch. "And aren't your legs going to be tired?"

"Trust me, you'll be exhausted long before my legs get tired, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said with a smirk. "Step three: Tighten your legs so that you can support yourself without me holding you, and without your hands."

Lucy frowned and adjusted her grip on Gajeel's waist, finding out that she had to press herself as close as she could manage to gain enough of a grip to let go with her hands. Once she accomplished the task, she glared at him and said, "You're still touching my ass, Gajeel."

"Step four," Gajeel said with a chuckle, "I hold onto you by your belt just in case you lose your grip on me." He had decided that he wanted to mess with her by even suggesting this exercise. She'd had him worked up for days, and he was going to get her back for it. He slowly slid his hands from her rear up to her hips, watching her blush and her breathing quicken slightly. His fingers intentionally brushed lightly over the bare skin where her tank top had ridden up to expose her stomach, then he paused. "Well, you're not really wearing the proper clothes for me to hold onto, so I guess my hands will stay here."

"I've got my belt on," Lucy said, trying to keep her reaction to his touch to herself.

"Do you want to have to buy a new belt if this one breaks?" Gajeel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No…"

"Exactly. Step five: slowly lean back until your parallel to the ground. Your body should be in line with my legs—it'll give you a way to gauge how far you need to go. Hands behind your head." Gajeel watched Lucy take a deep breath, glaring at him the entire time, then placed her hands behind her head and slowly leaned back. Once she was in the right position, with her thighs clenching his waist and her stomach tightened to keep herself in place, he smirked at her and said, "Alright, full sit-ups."

"That just puts my tits all over you," Lucy grumbled.

"If your tits weren't so big, they wouldn't come anywhere close, Bunny Girl," Gajeel retorted. "Now, quit dickin' around and get to work."

Lucy tightened every muscle she was supposed to in her abs, making sure she didn't strain her back or neck, and definitely making sure she didn't try to use her legs as leverage—if Gajeel found out, he'd just make it worse for her somehow, and there was no way for him to be oblivious when she was using him as an exercise machine. She slowly raised herself up, her chest rubbing against his and her face right in line with his face. "How many am I supposed to do?" she asked before lowering herself.

"Little lower," Gajeel said when Lucy paused just above his legs. She grumbled, but still lowered herself and looked to make sure she was in line with his thighs. "You're doing these until you drop."

"What?!" Lucy screeched as she sat back up. She jumped when one of Gajeel's hands left her hip and roughly spanked her backside. "Perv…"

"One, don't scream in my ears. I can hear you just fine. Two, I said you're doing them until you drop. I wanna see how many you can do like this because it's working slightly different muscles. Three, you knew I was a pervert and you still wrapped your legs around me. So, quit your bitching and get back to work."

Fifteen minutes, far too much sweat, several hundred curses, several intentionally rough brushes over Gajeel's crotch, and an entirely aching body later, Lucy sat up for the last time and wrapped her arms around Gajeel's neck when her legs finally gave out. Every time she sat up, Lucy had to fight a moan from the way her core rubbed against Gajeel and how wonderful it felt to have all of that friction between them. His hands slid from her hips to her rear again, but he didn't stand up. Instead, he stayed in the same squatting position and let her legs drape lazily over his. "You're… a fucking… asshole," Lucy panted. "I have… a whole lake of sweat… between my tits… because of you."

Gajeel snorted and shook his head. "I highly doubt that," he said, "Your tits are huge, but not  _that_  huge."

Lucy picked her head back up, blowing the stray strands of hair that stuck to her face away, then pulled back a little and pointed at her chest. Gajeel's eyebrow raised, but he still looked at what she was pointing at, and she couldn't help but laugh at the astonished expression on his face when he saw the sweat that had collected in the top of her cleavage. "I told you!" Lucy taunted.

After another minute of them sitting in the same position, Gajeel carefully stood up, finally having felt a slight burn in his thighs, and set Lucy's feet on the ground. While he had originally wanted to have her exercise like that to get back at her, Lucy seemed to show no signs whatsoever of being affected by it. He couldn't even tell if she was getting turned on with how much her scent permeated the air around them while she was sweating. Gajeel on the other hand had been forcing himself to think of anything other than dropping her to the ground and tearing her clothes off every time her body brushed against him. He honestly couldn't care less that she was covered in sweat from working out, because she still smelled absolutely delectable, and the way the sun glistened off of her skin almost made it seem like she was glowing.

Once Lucy was steady on her feet, she pulled back from Gajeel and tore her shirt off and wrung out all of the sweat that was already soaking through it, then used the semi-but-not-so-much-dry shirt to mop up the rest of her sweat. Finally, when she was cramming her shirt into her sports bra and between her breasts, she turned back to Gajeel only to see him bashing his head into a tree. Over and over again.

* * *

Lucy hummed happily with Plue in her arms as she walked from the hotel they were staying in to the bar down the road. Gajeel had taken the first shower when they got into town at seven, and they had agreed that she would meet him there whenever she was ready. It was a small town, and there wasn't really any reason for her to dress up to go to the bar, so Lucy decided to just wear her normal clothes. Tonight, she decided to go with a blood red off-the-shoulder belly shirt that was twisted to create a black and red crisscross pattern over her ample chest with a small zipper on the back, a black denim micro-skirt with red stitching that only covered her ass if she had it pulled down so the waistband was just above her golden curls (which she'd trimmed just a little lower for the sake of wearing the skirt for once), a new pair of black ankle-high combat boots and her belt with whip and keys.

As soon as the she was approaching the door to the bar, Lucy sent Plue back and walked inside. Every set of eyes in the room landed on her as soon as she walked in, gazing at her hungrily while she searched for the familiar pair of red eyes and long black hair that belonged to a very menacing Dragon Slayer. Sitting at the far end of the bar— _Of course, because now I'll have to walk through the entire building just to sit with him,_  she thought—Lucy saw Gajeel staring at her, and she could almost feel his eyes raking over every bit of her body while she started her walk over to him.

 _Holy fucking hell,_  Gajeel thought while he watched her walk over to him. There was honestly so much of her skin exposed that she might as well have come to the damn bar naked, but he definitely wasn't going to complain. Her hips swayed in a way that made his mouth water, more so when he saw how low her skirt was sitting, and every step she took had her breasts bouncing ever so slightly. Seeing her dressed in skimpy clothes really wasn't anything new, but he'd never seen her in something like this. In that moment, Gajeel decided that black and red really looked good on her—and might even venture to say it was his favorite combination—especially since her outfit perfectly matched her exposed guild mark just below her breasts. Gajeel's eyebrow raised in amusement when he saw a man bravely stand up from the bar to try and make a grab at Lucy.

Lucy paused in her walk to where Gajeel was when a man with auburn hair that hardly stood much taller than her without heels on blocked her path. He reeked of too much bourbon, and was swaying where he stood, but he decided that Lucy needed to have a little fun with his hands on her exposed hips. She smiled sweetly at him and shook her head when he asked if she wanted to go back to his place— _Really?,_  she thought,  _You just walk up to a chick and ask if she wants to go home with you?_ —and then started walking around him to keep making her way to the end of the bar while rolling her eyes.

"Really, asshole?" Lucy muttered when the man roughly grabbed her arm. She turned around to face him with the same sweet smile on her face, biting her lip innocently while her hand caressed his cheek. With one swift movement, she grabbed the side of his face and slammed his head into the bar, then stepped over his limp body on the floor and kept moving to her original target.

As soon as Lucy sat down on the stool next to him, Gajeel couldn't help but laugh. "Nice, Bunny Girl," he said, "Less than five minutes and you're assaulting people."

"He's a pervert," Lucy grumbled, crossing her arms under her chest and pouting.

"And you're dressed like a hooker," Gajeel said pointedly while he looked over her scantily clad form again.

"Well, I think I'm safe," Lucy said with a mischievous grin, "I've got Black Steel Gajeel as a drinking buddy."

"True," Gajeel nodded. "Speaking of which, what are we drinking?"

"Whiskey?" she asked hopefully. She actually loved the taste of good whiskey, and had found out as much when she was still living at home with her father and sneaking sips from his liquor cabinet. Her most recent memory of whiskey was tainted from that night she was attacked, so Lucy was determined to remind herself just how wonderful it tasted.

"Whiskey," Gajeel nodded with a smirk.

After several glasses of whiskey on the rocks, Lucy was already feeling a wonderful buzz. She lifted her full glass in the air a little and smiled lazily at Gajeel. "A toast," she said, the alcohol causing a light blush across her cheeks and nose.

Gajeel smirked and raised his glass. "What are we toasting to, Bunny Girl?"

"To… A successful mission."

"We already toasted to that."

"Hmm," Lucy hummed. "To the guild."

"Already did it."

"Damn… Training?"

"Nope."

"Son of a bitch..." Lucy grumbled. "To working with the most annoying bastard in all of Earthland!" she shouted with a wide grin.

Gajeel chuckled and finally clinked his glass against hers. "I fucking hate you too," he said just before he downed the rest of his drink.

Once Lucy set her empty glass back on the bar, she turned to face Gajeel and leaned her head on her hand while her elbow rested next to her glass. "You know," she said slowly. "I think I only… half… maybe eighty-percent hate you."

"That's a pretty big jump, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said with a smirk, motioning to the bartender for another round of drinks.

"Half… Eighty…" Lucy said, tipping her head back and forth. "Okay, we'll call it sixty-five just to make it even."

"That's not an even number."

"Sure it is!" Lucy said earnestly. "Half is even, and eighty is even. So halfway between those two is even!" Lucy paused and lifted her hands in front of her, holding up her fingers for each number she said while she continued. "Besides, six is even and five is odd, but six plus five is eleven. Now, eleven is odd, too…  _Buuuuut_  one plus one is two. Two is an even number, so sixty-five is even!" One she was done, she threw her hands into the air and grinned widely. To everyone else in the bar, Gajeel looked like he was about to murder her—Lucy, on the other hand, only saw the amusement dancing in his eyes and wasn't afraid in the slightest when his pointed teeth came out for an appearance while he smirked at her.

Gajeel chuckled again and said, "That's not how it works, Bunny Girl."

"No, you're right," Lucy mumbled, dropping her hands to her lap and pouting. After a moment, a triumphant grin spread across her face as she said, "But it  _is_  halfway between half and eighty!"

Gajeel shook his head and grabbed his glass once the bartender set it down. After taking a small sip, he said, "Okay, and what's half? I didn't realize that was a number."

Lucy pouted and thought for a moment, circling a finger on the bar around her fresh glass. After a moment, she smiled and said, "Well, it's halfway between zero and a hundred. Y'know… Half!"

"So, fifty?" Gajeel asked.

"Right, that's what I said!" Lucy giggled when Gajeel chuckled and shook his head while he took another sip of his whiskey. She watched as his eyes never left hers, and saw the faintest glint of the metal that adorned his face. "You know… Your piercings are  _really_  sexy," she said wistfully. "I bet they're yummy too… You should let me lick them sometime."

Gajeel choked a little bit and carefully set his glass down while he raised an eyebrow at her. "O…kay?"

"Are you pierced everywhere?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Like where?" he asked cautiously, listening to the bartender chuckling from the other end of the bar while he cleaned a glass. Gajeel glanced over at the man and saw him shaking his head while trying to hold his laughs in. Clearly, this wasn't the first time the guy had eavesdropped on a conversation, but it was probably one of the funniest based on how hard it was for him to stifle his laughter.

"Like… Your belly button!" Lucy said happily, then frowned. "Wait, no… I see you shirtless every day, and I've never seen a piercing there… Trust me, I've looked… Oh! Your hips!"

"What?!" Gajeel asked.

"Yeah! You know," Lucy stood up shakily and dramatically smoothed down her skirt. She grabbed Gajeel's hands then placed them on her exposed hip bones, and said, "Right here. I've never really gotten to look at your hips before…"

Gajeel raised a pierced eyebrow and slowly shook his head while his eyes honed in on where she'd put his hands. The skin was soft and smooth just like he remembered, and with how low her skirt was sitting he could feel his mouth watering with the urge to lick all of her exposed skin. His eyes slowly drank in every inch of her from her hips back up to her flushed face, and he said, "No, my hips aren't pierced, Bunny Girl."

"Hmm… How about… Your legs?" Lucy asked, biting her lip gently when Gajeel's thumbs started making slow circles on her hips. "I've never seen your legs either."

"Nope, not my legs," Gajeel answered with a smirk, carefully pulling her closer so she could stand between his spread legs.

"Well, your back's not pierced… There's not much of you that I  _haven't_  seen…" She paused for a moment, lifting her hands to his arms and circling around the piercings there. "Is your dick pierced?" Lucy asked innocently, smiling and sliding her fingers over the piercings in his arms as she moved up to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Gajeel whispered.

"I would…" Lucy said with a fervent nod and a giggle. "Tell me." She tucked her hair behind her ear, then turned her head to the side so she could hear him better.

Gajeel leaned closer to her, letting his lips ghost over her ear and his breath dance over her skin. "Nine times, Bunny. Wanna see sometime?" he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment and running his nose along the shell of her ear while he took in her scent with a lecherous smirk.

Lucy's jaw dropped open and her eyes went wide.  _Nine,_  she thought hazily,  _That's a lot of… I wonder how it feels…_  She slowly turned her head back to look at Gajeel and noticed that he hadn't moved from where he was. Her nose lightly brushed against his and she whispered, "Yeah, but not tonight."

"Why's that?" Gajeel asked, his voice loud enough for only her to hear him in the din of the bar. His hands slid from her hips to the tight ass that had been tempting him every time she moved, and he watched her eyes widen in shock before she gave him a sultry smile.

"Because I haven't even kissed you yet," Lucy whispered. "I forgot what you taste like."

"Do you want to kiss me?" Gajeel asked.

Lucy's eyes darkened with lust while she softly said, "All the time. You just don't notice it."

"So do it now, Bunny. I'm not stopping you."

Lucy giggled when Gajeel's grip on her backside tightened as if he was encouraging her, then she slowly closed the distance between them. That same spark from the first time they had kissed was intensified tenfold, and Lucy moaned lightly when one of Gajeel's hands slid up her back and pressed her tightly to his chest. While she had initiated the kiss, Gajeel was completely in control. His tongue darted out and flicked across her lips before he pulled it back, and the next time he did it she gasped when she felt the little piercing in his tongue dragging across her lip. That delicious pierced tongue darted into her mouth seemingly on a mission to make her knees weak while it glided and battled with hers. She tasted the whiskey he'd had, and wondered if she could actually suck the excess alcohol off of his tongue. With a small smirk, Lucy closed her lips and sucked lightly to test out her silly little theory, making him groan and push her skirt up just a little bit so he could feel the bottom of one cheek. Her tongue circled around his, teased the iron barbell, and with one last pull she let it go.

Gajeel pulled his tongue back into his mouth and nibbled on her lips before moving down to her neck. He chuckled when she pulled her arm away to grab her untouched glass of whiskey, but just before she put it up to her lips, his head shot up and he frowned. He grabbed her glass and put his nose to it, then growled when he smelled something more than alcohol. "Open your mouth, Bunny," he ground out, pulling her skirt back down when he remembered they were still in a public place.

Lucy frowned, but popped her mouth open and watched as Gajeel leaned in and smelled her breath. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Gajeel sighed in relief when he didn't smell anything off—there was Lucy's scent, whiskey, and his own, but not what he smelled in her fresh glass. "Nothing," he said while he set the glass down. "Come on, let's go back and get some rest. We've got training tomorrow."

Lucy pouted at Gajeel while he picked up his own glass and smelled it. Once he poured the remaining liquid into his mouth, she said, "But I wanted another drink."

Gajeel smirked at her and pushed her away from him slightly so he could stand up. He lifted one hand and pushed her chin down, and saw a delighted smile turning up the corners of her mouth while he leaned down. Once his mouth was against hers, he opened his lips and let the rest of his drink fall into her waiting mouth. She moaned lightly and gulped it down, then kissed him softly before pulling away.

"Remind me to just drink like  _that_  next time" Lucy whispered, sucking on her bottom lip to pull every ounce of how Gajeel tasted from it. "You make it taste even better." She smiled softly when Gajeel rolled his eyes and smirked, then wrapped his arm protectively around her bare waist while he led her out the door. Just before the door closed, everyone in the bar could hear the young blonde say, "Will you let me count your dick piercings sometime?"

* * *

Lucy woke up the next morning with the barest remnants of a headache, hardly enough to even be called a hangover. She yawned and stretched, frowning when she couldn't get her back to pop the way she wanted, then slowly sat up in her bed. The sun was barely cresting the horizon, sending dull early morning light in through the curtains. She blushed while she thought over the previous night at the bar with Gajeel. She couldn't really remember everything that she'd said, but she  _did_  remember asking if his dick was pierced… and his answer. Then she had kissed him. Again. Lucy felt renewed heat pooling in her belly when she thought about how his hands felt while they caressed her, even when he'd pushed her skirt up a little in the middle of the bar to feel her bare backside. She hadn't cared at the time, and was more than willing to drag him back to the hotel and tear each other's clothes off. She was frustrated when they got back to the room—but thankful and a little touched now that she was totally sober—that he'd had enough presence of mind to say that her consenting while drunk wasn't the same as when she was sober. He was fine with kissing her, and some light touches here and there, but he downright refused to go any further; he'd said that if she wanted to do anything else, she needed to tell him while she wasn't drunk so he knew she was serious. She frowned when she remembered how abruptly they had left the bar though. She was going to take a sip of her drink, and Gajeel took it away and said they had to train today.  _But, today's my day off,_  she thought as she glanced at the still sleeping Slayer in the next bed.

Shaking her head and deciding to just ask him about it later on when they were on their way back to the mountains, Lucy quietly got up and went to the bathroom, then came back out to see that Gajeel was still passed out. Usually, if she got up first he was awake by the time she was done using the toilet. She carefully walked over to his bed and pulled the blanket down to his hips, and was silently thankful that he was lying on his back when she pulled one leg over to straddle him. She might have been drunk the night before, but she'd made her mind up a week ago that she wanted a physical relationship with him. Now, it was time to stop beating around the bush and show him just what she wanted.

With her hands on either side of his head, Lucy slowly leaned down and brushed her nose along his. He snorted and his nose twitched, but otherwise he didn't wake up. Stifling a giggle, Lucy moved down and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. Still no reaction. Frowning, Lucy tried to think of something she could do to wake him up. A small lightbulb went off over her head and she grinned deviously as her lips glided along his cheek to his ear. She nibbled on the piercing in his earlobe for a second, then whispered, "Gajeel…" When he still didn't react, Lucy raised an eyebrow and decided it was time to play dirty. She closed her eyes and let herself delve into one of her many fantasies about him for the briefest of moments. Just long enough for her to get the inspiration she needed. "Oh, Gajeel," Lucy moaned, "Mmm, just like that…" She leaned closer, panting slightly then moaned again, "Fuck, that's it… Oh… Right there…. Harder… Ngh…"

"Bunny Girl, if you're gonna make those noises you'd better actually be riding my dick," Gajeel grumbled, wrapping his arms around the blonde and pulling her against his chest before he rolled onto his side.

"Took you long enough," Lucy mumbled against his neck.

"Whaddya want?" he asked after he yawned. "We get to sleep in today."

"I wanted to count your piercings," Lucy said with a smirk. She giggled when Gajeel stiffened and cracked one eye open to glare sleepily at her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked slowly, wondering just how much of last night she remembered. He hadn't been nearly as inebriated as she was, though he'd gotten a decent buzz, but he distinctly remembered leaving the bar with her asking to count very specific piercings.

Lucy bit her lip and slowly slid a hand down Gajeel's chest, then lightly dragged her fingers just under the waistband of his pants and boxers. She watched his other eye slide open to look questioningly at her, then his breathing stuttered when she pushed her hand a little further under his clothes. "Can I count them?" she asked, her voice taking on a slightly husky quality.

Gajeel's eyes actually went wide when her fingers brushed over the coarse hairs just above the base of his shaft, and he nodded absently. His brain wasn't really too focused on making words at that point, only on how her slender fingers felt while they moved along his pelvis. Lucy leaned up slowly and hesitantly brought her lips to his as her hand lightly closed over his impressive length, and he couldn't help but groan when he finally felt her hand on him and her lips against his. His hands glided over her back, one pulling her shirt up a little so he could feel her bare skin while the other slid down to cup her rear.

Lucy moaned into the kiss when his hands started caressing her, and she started carefully stroking him while she marveled at the size of him and the piercings she felt. Nine barbells climbed up the underside of his shaft, creating ridge after ridge that she couldn't help but pay special attention to while she explored every inch of him. Her thumb circled the prominent ridge of his head, then up and over the tip of him making him groan and force his tongue into her mouth. While their tongues danced and battled, Lucy's fingers continued their exploration, moving down quickly over the piercings in his shaft again and counting them in quick succession before she lightly dragged a single fingertip in careful circles over his sac.

Gajeel gasped and shuddered, rolling onto his back and pulling Lucy along with him while she was trapped in his embrace. Her hand was still between them, still stroking and teasing him in ways he'd never imagined possible, and all he could do was keep his lips pressed to hers while his tongue ravaged her in ways he'd only dreamed of. He didn't even try to stop himself from letting Lucy hear just how much she was affecting him, instead focusing on how her body felt beneath his fingers when they pushed under her lacy panties to palm her backside again. "Fuck, Bunny," Gajeel moaned when she pulled away after nibbling on his lower lip and started making her way down his neck.

"Off," Lucy rasped just before she bit down on his collar bone, smirking when he let out a soft growl and let go of her to push his pants down and kick them off into the room. She adjusted her hand as she kissed a searing path down his chest, dragging her teeth over both nipples and giggling when he thrust more insistently into her hand. Her tongue darted out to circle around his navel while she looked up into his heated gaze and she paused at his hips to lightly suck on each one. "Hm," she hummed with a smirk, "Guess they're not pierced after all."

Gajeel smirked and shook his head while he continued panting with each movement her hand made over his shaft. "No… But they can be…" His hands fisted in the sheets when she giggled and her breath danced over the tip of him, and he bit his lower lip while he watched her hovering over him with the sexiest smirk he'd ever seen in his life.

"You keep count," she whispered, running her tongue lightly over his flared head and watching his eyes roll back while he nodded. Lucy closed her lips around his head, and slowly swirled her tongue from the tip to the ridge and back. She lowered her head just until the first piercing passed her lips, then flicked her tongue over it again and again, prodding one side of the barbell before moving on to the other and pulling her head back up.

"One," Gajeel moaned, licking his lips when he felt her tongue gliding down his shaft until she reached the second piercing. His breathing was already becoming ragged, but he was still able to say, "Two," when Lucy pulled her head back up.

Every time she lowered her head, she repeated the same actions for each new piercing she came across, and when she pulled away Lucy pressed firmly against each of them while her tongue slid over them. By the time she'd gotten down to the eighth piercing, Gajeel had his hands sifting through her hair, and she could tell he was having a hard time holding himself back from forcing her head down all the way. She pulled back up and let him go with a pop, then moved down and tilted her head to the side while she wrapped her lips around the last piercing with a long moan.

"Holy fuck," Gajeel groaned with wide eyes, tightening his grip in her hair and gritting his teeth when she slid back up with only his piercings between her lips. "Bunny, what the hell?" he panted incredulously, never having experienced something that made him ready to blow his load before she'd even really started.

"Last one, right?" she asked, pressing a sweet kiss to each of his hips. When he nodded, Lucy closed her mouth over him again, and she felt him slowly pushing her head down towards his base. She took a deep breath through her nose once she got to the seventh, the relaxed her throat and forced her head down roughly until her lips were pressed against his pelvis. The long moan that left Gajeel's mouth had her pulling back up just until he was free from her gag reflex, then slamming back down onto him over and over with short strokes that gave her just enough time to breathe. She pulled back up all the way, hollowing out her cheeks to collect any excess saliva and letting him go with a small pop, then smirked when she caught him looking longingly at her.

Gajeel couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of his cock disappearing between her lips. When her tongue circled around his tip again while she let him see what she was doing, he nearly lost the last thread of his control that kept him from tearing off her clothes. Her hand started stroking him faster, her thumb pressing into the piercings that lined his shaft and sending searing pleasure coursing through him in quick succession. "God, I wanna fuck you so bad," he groaned when her mouth descended on him again, his grip tightening in her hair and pushing her just a little faster.

Lucy sucked harder while she pulled back up, earning a very gratifying growl from Gajeel. "Nope. Just a blowjob," she whispered with her lips brushing over the small opening in his head before diving back down with a moan.

"C'mon, Bunny… Fuck… Don't tease me," Gajeel said, dropping his head to the pillow and gasping when her hand came up to massage the sensitive flesh of his sac while his body started to tighten up.

"Not teasing," Lucy said softly, her words broken by quick plunges of Gajeel's hardened manhood into her wet cavern, "Sex later… I wanna… Taste you." After a few more dips of her head, Lucy pulled away completely and sat up on her knees on the bed.

"What are you—" Gajeel asked, wondering why she stopped and why she was giving him a devious little smirk with those swollen lips of hers.

"Come here," Lucy whispered, leaning forward and grabbing Gajeel's hands. She pulled him forward until they were both kneeling on the bed, then kissed her way down his chest again until she was on her hands and knees in front of him. "Show me how much you want to fuck me," she rasped, licking a trail from his navel downwards, "Give me a taste." Once she reached his manhood, Lucy grabbed his hands and placed them back on her head, then slowly took him into her mouth.

Gajeel groaned while his eyes stayed locked on hers, and once he was fully sheathed she winked at him and stayed completely still. A wicked grin split Gajeel's face and his grip tightened in her hair while he said, "Might wanna move those lips, Bunny. You could chip a tooth." He sucked in a sharp breath when he felt her lips move to wrap around her teeth, then he pulled her head back only to roughly thrust into her mouth again. Once only his head was nestled between her lips, his head fell back when her tongue flitted quickly across it while he gave a few short strokes before returning to his previous pace.

Lucy's eyes fluttered closed, moans spilling from her every time she was pulled away from Gajeel's body. She sucked more urgently when he started moving faster, tilting her head just slightly and reveling at the string of curses he let out. She loved the way his piercings felt while they passed over her lips in quick succession, and she frowned slightly when she realized that he wasn't letting her feel all nine of them. Her hands slid up his thighs and she was finally able to appreciate each and every muscle she'd never gotten to see on him before. Just like the rest of his body, Gajeel's legs just screamed powerful and dangerous while they flexed with each thrust into her mouth. She continued her journey until she reached his hips, circling her thumbs around them for only a moment before she pulled him forcefully against her mouth and down into her throat.

"OH Shit!" Gajeel shouted, pulling back and slamming back into her as far as he could go again and again. The way her throat gripped him nearly had him spilling over the edge, but he wanted to feel more and more of her. Her hands ghosted over his thighs when he kept pushing all the way in and picked up his rough pace again, giving her a taste of just what he could do once he was nestled between her legs. Just the fact that she was letting him do this, and taking everything he gave her without batting an eye, had that all-too familiar tingle starting to travel up his spine as he neared his climax. She still moaned around him whenever she got the chance, her mouth gliding easily over his rock-hard member and giving him only the faintest idea of what it might be like to finally push between her slick folds. His pace was rough and relentless, his hips snapping frantically, and Gajeel still couldn't believe she had wanted more. He groaned again and again as heat started spreading through his limbs, his skin becoming hyper-sensitive just before he spilled over. "You wanna taste, Bunny?" he moaned, pistoning faster and harder into her while he looked down at her.

Lucy's eyes shot open to look at Gajeel's crimson orbs that reflected the fire and passion in her own gaze. "Mm-hmm!" she mumbled, finally pushing back against him to meet each thrust and listening to him gasp and growl while he teetered on the edge of his climax. She felt him harden just a little when his pace faltered, then his balls drew up and he froze after pushing into her mouth one last time, roaring loudly when he finally crested that peak. His shaft pulsed violently against her tongue as shot after shot of his hot liquid filled her mouth, and his hips flexed in quick, shuddering jabs in time with each forceful pulse. She moaned lightly when she tasted it, the tangy and salty mixture like a condensed version of Gajeel's essence—metallic with a hint of cinnamon even here—and greedily swallowed it down before licking and sucking every trace of his orgasm from him. She paid special attention to his piercings, and the corners of her mouth turned up when he moaned and shivered with each pass of her tongue over them.

Gajeel's fingers slowly sifted through Lucy's hair, his body shaking and more than ready to collapse into a gelatinous mass right there, while she continued lavishing him with attention. Soft kisses, playful little nips on his still-sensitive skin, her hands moving slowly over every inch of his legs, hips, and torso, all while she made her way back up to finally press one last kiss in the center of his chest. With a smirk, Gajeel pulled her head up and captured her swollen lips with his while one hand moved slowly down the length of her spine. Her hands glided up his bare chest and wrapped around his neck, and the pair carefully laid back down on the bed while his tongue gently dipped into her mouth. He pushed under her shirt to feel the soft skin of her waist, smirking again when she lightly moaned into the kiss.

Lucy carefully pulled away, her eyes slowly opening to see Gajeel's half-lidded gaze staring back at her. His hands still lightly ran over her waist, back, and down to the rounded cheeks of her rear, and she couldn't help but giggle slightly at just how lazily he was moving right then. The roughness he'd had while her lips were on his shaft had completely disappeared, and Lucy was finally seeing what an utterly relaxed Gajeel looked like while he was conscious. "So," she whispered, moving her hands to his hair and letting the surprisingly soft tresses thread through her fingers, "You like your bitches to swallow, huh?"

Gajeel chuckled and raised an eyebrow at her. "Makes cleanup a hell of a lot easier," he replied with a smirk.

"Well, I guess you'll have to return the favor sometime." Lucy smiled and pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss, then pulled away and leaned down to grab the blanket from the foot of the bed. "For now, I think we should go back to sleep. You said we get to sleep in today." After a moment, she looked over at Gajeel and added, "You should probably put your pants back on, otherwise you might try fucking me in your sleep."

"I'm not moving, Bunny Girl," Gajeel grumbled, "You want them back on, do it yourself."

Lucy sighed and shook her head, then gave up and laid her head on his chest while his arms wrapped around her. "If I wake up to your dick inside of me, I'm cutting it off and wearing it as a necklace."

"You leave my dick the hell alone, psycho," Gajeel muttered, nestling his nose in her hair and sighing. "Fuck, you smell good."

Lucy giggled and rolled her eyes, wrapping her arm around him and letting her fingers dance lightly over his hip. "You still never told me what I smell like, you know," she whispered while her eyes closed.

Gajeel shrugged and whispered, "Guess you'll never know. I'm taking that shit to the grave."

"Ass," Lucy whispered with a smile, listening to Gajeel's soft and sleepy chuckle while the two slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Gajeel woke up a few hours later to a light golden glow filling the hotel room and his communications lacrima going off on the nightstand. A quick glance at the clock told him it was nearing noon, and he turned to see Lucy meditating on the other bed, already showered and dressed for the day. He grabbed a shirt and threw his pants back on, then picked up the lacrima and answered it with a scowl only to see Master Jose's face looking impassively back at him. "Master," Gajeel said with a nod.

"Are you alone?" Jose asked.

"No, but she's meditating," Gajeel answered, turning the lacrima so Jose could see the golden aura surrounding Lucy along with the sweeping golden tendrils that had doubled since he first saw her doing this. Once he turned it back to face him, Gajeel added, "She's in a trance when she does that. Can't hear a damn thing."

Jose hummed in thought while he tried to sort out what he needed to say. He'd had everything in order before deciding to call his Dragon Slayer, but just seeing the sheer amount of power the young Celestial mage was letting out had momentarily scrambled his brain. "Is that all of her magic?"

Gajeel looked over at Lucy for a moment, giving her a critical eye while he gauged how much magic she was letting out. "Almost," he said, "When she's nearly done she pulls all of it out into her hands."

"How long can she hold it?"

"An hour, sometimes two," Gajeel said.

Jose grinned and nodded, then said, "She's progressing well then. Tell me about this mission you did."

"What do you wanna know?" Gajeel asked, leaning back against the headboard and resting his head on his arm. "I'm sure the client already called."

"He did," Jose said. "And he apologized for mistreating you two, more specifically for offending her."

Gajeel chuckled darkly and nodded. "She used one spirit to find out what the monsters were—gave us everything we needed to know from how they fought to their weaknesses. Turns out, if they hear a lullaby, they pass out. She called out another spirit with a harp to play one, then another to throw me across the field to herd four of them up the hill."

"How many spirits can she summon at once?" Jose asked, looking away from the lacrima to take a few notes on the file for the mission and in Lucy's own personal file.

"Two so far. One silver and one gold. Last time she tried two golds she passed out," Gajeel answered. "They came out, but she couldn't hold them for long."

"Please continue."

"Her harp spirit played the song when they were close enough. They passed out, so Taurus and I killed them. We were making our way back to town when two more jumped out and took us one on one."

"I assume you killed yours with little issue?"

"Couple punctures to my shoulders when it snuck up," Gajeel said with a shrug, "It was down in a few minutes."

"And hers?"

"She used two different gold keys on it. I didn't see what the first one did, but the second had chains wrapping around its ribs and neck after it bit her."

Jose frowned and said, "So, she was hurt again…"

"Yeah, from the things sneaking up on us. They can mask their scent, so I couldn't even tell they were there. By the time I was done with my fight, she was on the thing's back and choking it with her whip, and her spirit was on the side doing the same thing," Gajeel answered, refusing to let Jose see any form of emotion from him concerning defending the little blonde. "Apparently its tooth broke off in her arm, so she ripped it out and stabbed the thing in the head. When it fell to the ground she ripped out a part of its brain and just dropped it like it was nothing."

"So, her fighting skills have increased then," Jose said. "How does she hold up in a regular fight?"

"Surprisingly well, even before I started her training," Gajeel answered honestly, glancing over to see Lucy had started pulling her magic into the orbs over her hands. "First fight she came out with a broken nose and cheek, but she got a few solid hits on me. Definitely doesn't take shit from anyone. She slammed a guy's head into the bar last night for trying to take her home with him."

"What was the mayor apologizing for, Gajeel?"

"Talking shit about the guild," Gajeel answered with a sneer. "She put him in his place when he said she shouldn't have been out there since she got hurt."

Jose sighed and shook his head when he saw the smirk on Gajeel's face. "What did she say?"

"Something about him jerking off and eating doughnuts while we're doing all the work," Gajeel said, "Said he needed to 'shut the fuck up and keep his goddamn opinions to himself' if he doesn't like the mages we send, since our guild doesn't let the weak to join. Shit like that."

"Well, it seems her loyalty lies with us after all," Jose said with a wide grin. "And have you gained her trust?"

Gajeel looked back over to see the orbs completely full over Lucy's hands, then turned the lacrima so Master Jose could see. "That's all of her magic so far. It's more than what she had yesterday, so she might not be able to hold it for a whole hour yet." While he was letting the guildmaster watch Lucy meditating, Gajeel had to figure out just what he was going to say. He knew that he had gained Lucy's trust to a point, since he'd helped her when she needed someone the most, but he also knew that Lucy had gained a portion of his trust. He'd told her things that he had never told anyone else before—mostly about Metallicana—and he knew deep down that she wouldn't betray the trust he put in her over something as personal as his own adopted father. Did she trust him with her life? Maybe, but he couldn't be sure since the biggest priority of their guild is everyone for themselves. He'd made sure she understood that before the mission even started, and there didn't seem to be anything more he could do concerning that. Finally, Gajeel turned the lacrima back to himself and saw the wide grin on Master Jose's face from watching her meditate. "Yeah, she trusts me. Not sure how much, but it's there."

"How can you be sure?" Jose asked.

Gajeel shrugged, deciding to stretch the truth a little, and said, "Dragon Slayer thing. My nose doesn't lie." Part of it was true. Gajeel's nose told him based on her emotions that she trusted him: when she was wrapped in his arms that first night in the cave, she had been calm; every time they slept next to each other, she relaxed more than usual; she never looked at him as someone to be afraid of, even when he was beating her into the ground. If Lucy didn't trust him, he knew she would never have kissed him in the first place.

"Very well," Jose said. They were silent for a minute, then he said, "Oh, can you tell me why there were two dead bodies in the mountains that a pair of hikers found?"

"There's animals in the mountains," Gajeel said plainly. "Any number of things could have happened to them."

"That's what I thought as well," Jose said with a nod and a small smirk. "The only problem is that one man's throat was torn out, but the wound was too small to be an animal that would do something like that, and the other man's chest was ripped open with a knife of some sort and his neck was broken. Animals don't do that, Gajeel."

"Guess they don't," Gajeel said. "There was another guy in the mountains at the same time we were, maybe it was him. Saw him passing by the cave we were staying in around dawn." Gajeel had told Lucy he wouldn't tell Master Jose about what happened that night, unless someone else told him about it—and since the guild master was more concerned with keeping any random killings under wraps, Gajeel would just skirt around the issue.  _I've got her trust,_  he thought,  _She's trusting me not to tell him about what they tried to do to her. What she did to them._

"Someone else?" Jose asked with a grin. "Well, I do hope they find whoever this other man is so he can be brought to justice."

Gajeel smirked and nodded. When he saw a faint wobble of the light in the room, he glanced over to see the first signs that Lucy was done meditating. "She's almost done, Master. Anything else?"

"No," Jose said, "Keep a low profile, just in case. She doesn't need to know I called. When will you be back?"

"It'll take us a week to get through the mountains, so two more weeks tops. Depends on what else I need to train her on," Gajeel answered. He got a swift nod from the guild master, then shut off the lacrima and set it on the nightstand. "Bunny, I'm hopping in the shower," he said just in case she was already able to hear him, then grabbed fresh clothes and walked into the bathroom.

* * *

Lucy and Gajeel were already two days into the mountains, and they had set up camp at the base of one for the night. When he had finally asked why Lucy always slept outside when they had a tent and she usually had no problem sleeping next to him, she simply said that she loved being able to see the stars before she closed her eyes. Just like every other night that they were out in the wilderness, Lucy had a nightmare. It was the same every time: the three men would surround her and chase her through the woods, and when she would try to fight back like she had done that night, her body refused to move. She was taken to the ground and beaten senseless, then the men would take their turns using her body any way they wanted to. Instead of screaming out when she woke up, Lucy threw a hand over her mouth to make sure Gajeel couldn't hear her crying again. She was shaking terribly, and every rustle of the bushes around her from the light breeze made her think someone was going to come after her.

She held her hand tightly over her mouth and looked up at the stars while tears poured down her face. The stars always gave her comfort when she needed it, but a bitter cold had seeped into her bones, chilling her from the inside out at the thought of being afraid any time she was alone in the woods. She didn't want to depend on anyone, and though her body was screaming at her to go and take comfort in the tent with Gajeel, she couldn't let herself fall into that habit. The relationship she had with him needed to stay on a purely physical level, even though after that morning she had hardly touched him, and it couldn't stay that way if she went to him with her problems any time one popped up. That was something you did with the man you were dating, not the guy you were going to screw whenever either of you needed to get it out of your system. Gajeel would never be the one that Lucy called when she needed someone to talk to, someone to hold her when she was upset. They just couldn't get along for more than an hour at best, and she doubted it would ever change. He still thoroughly enjoyed beating the shit out of her when they were sparring, most likely taking out his agitation from her snarky attitude on her, but even then he was using it as a form of training.  _Gajeel was ordered to do this,_  Lucy reminded herself,  _He has to train me; otherwise, we wouldn't be here._

She rolled onto her side and faced the tent, then closed her eyes and tried to force herself to fall back asleep even with her never-ending stream of tears. Every noise she heard had her flinching and clenching her eyes tighter, pulling her blanket up to her head in the hopes of blocking everything out. Her keys were gripped tightly in her hand and held to her chest as if they were a shield that could protect her from the horrors of the world. Lucy's mind, even while awake, whirled with the images from her nightmare, and she wasn't even aware of the fact that she was openly sobbing.

Gajeel had been sitting just inside the tent listening to her while she tried to fall back asleep. It was almost as if he was subconsciously aware of every noise she made or the beating of her heart while he slept, because as soon as she woke up and clamped a hand over her mouth he was sitting up and listening intently. Her tears didn't die down, even when she had rolled over and closed her eyes again, but it seemed as though she was trying to force herself to move past whatever was upsetting her. When he heard the first whimper from her, Gajeel silently opened the tent and watched her, wondering if he should just drag her back into the tent like he'd done before. He saw her flinch at the slightest noise, noticed how her whole body shook, and heard the faint jingling of her keys against her chest. When that first heartrending sob ripped out of her, he couldn't even begin to understand why it had torn him up inside; he was completely stunned by the fact that everything inside of him was trying to pull him over to the young blonde, to give her comfort when she needed it.

Gajeel ran a hand through his hair, not knowing what he should do. Metallicana had always told him that he should help those in need, especially when they had showed him the same kindness. Since the dragon had left, Gajeel had strayed from that path and he knew it. He'd become more vicious, less inclined to care about those around him. Sure, he'd never been a happy rainbow with sunshine and puppies in anyone's eyes to begin with, and being raised by the rough and tough iron dragon had only cemented that same calloused demeanor deep within him. The problem was that with the blonde his memories of what was supposed to be good in life seemed to surface. He felt a little more relaxed around her, unless she was in the middle of a bitch-fest, and he really didn't know what to make of it. He wanted to sneer and turn away, closing himself in the tent and plugging his ears and nose so he couldn't hear her or smell her tears. He wanted to do it so badly, it hurt. He forced himself to turn away, to look at the bedroll he'd been sleeping semi-peacefully in before she'd woken up.

"I don't want to see it anymore," Lucy whispered to herself. "Just go away… Please go away…" She brought her knees to her chest, and completely forgot about where she was. As far as she was concerned, she was alone like always. In her room, in the woods, in a cave. It didn't really matter where, because no one was there for her. She had never had such vivid and horrendous nightmares, never felt as weak in all her life as she did in those dreams. Lucy held herself tighter to try and bring some semblance of warmth back into herself, wishing she was stronger so she would never have to feel this way again. She tensed and screamed when a hand touched her shoulder, her limbs flailing wildly while she tried to pull away from whoever was trying to hurt her. "Go away!" she yelled, her vision blurred by tears and a curtain of her blonde hair falling in her face.

"Bunny, it's me," Gajeel said softly, placing his other hand on the opposite shoulder and holding her in place. She stopped fighting almost immediately, but it wasn't in recognition. She gave up. She cried and cried and Gajeel had no clue what he could do to help her. He pushed her hair out of her face and saw the streaks of tears everywhere, how puffy and red her eyes were while she sobbed. With a sigh, he carefully picked her up and carried her into the tent, then laid her down on the bedroll before he went to get her bag.

Lucy curled up on her side once she was set down, and she felt like she was holding herself together with just the pressure of her arms across her stomach. A thud and a rustling noise sounded near her, and Lucy started to tremble while she waited to see what would happen to her.

Gajeel ran a hand over his face and glared at the crying girl for only a second before it faltered. He carefully sat down next to her and grabbed her hands with his, forcing her to loosen her grip on her keys and gently laying them to the side. "Bunny Girl," Gajeel whispered, running his thumbs over her hands. "Talk to me."

Lucy whimpered again when she heard his voice, but she shook her head to get rid of the figment her mind had created. She knew Gajeel could be sweet sometimes, but he wouldn't always be there to help her. She needed to remember that.

"Come on, Bunny," he said more insistently. "Talk to me."

"Wh-Why?" Lucy whispered.

"Because I want to help," he said softly. "Will you let me help you?" When she refused to answer him, Gajeel let her hands go and pulled her into his lap, with her body curled up sideways against him. "You help me, and…" he whispered.

"And… I'll help you…" Lucy said slowly, turning to bury her face in Gajeel's chest.

"It's about that night, right?" he asked after a few minutes. When Lucy nodded, Gajeel sighed and said, "You know they're just dreams."

"Doesn't make them less scary," Lucy whispered. "I just keep thinking about it… And…" She let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. "And, I shouldn't be bothering you with it."

"Well, either I help you get over it so you'll actually sleep through the night without waking me up, or you handle it on your own and I don't get any sleep until we're back in town," Gajeel said with a smirk. "So, because I'm a selfish bastard, you're getting my help."

Lucy sniffled and lightly punched Gajeel in the stomach, only causing him to laugh a little. "You're a dick."

"Yeah, but you like it," Gajeel retorted half-heartedly. "Tell me what I can do to help."

"It's not something you'll want to do," Lucy said.

"Try me."

"Let me sleep in here with you?" she asked hesitantly. "I don't know why, but it helps keep the nightmares away."

Gajeel didn't know whether he should smile or roll his eyes and kick her out of the tent, so he just went with his instincts. He lightly squeezed her shoulders and asked, "Why would I not want that?"

Lucy's head shot up, and she quickly wiped her tears away while she stared at Gajeel in complete confusion. "Because it's a little more than just physical like you want."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her and said, "I'm pretty sure your tits and snatch rubbing up against me in your sleep is a physical thing, Bunny Girl. Besides…" Gajeel paused and looked away toward the entrance of the tent when he felt his face heat up. "I prefer sleeping like that."

Lucy's lips curved up into a small smile when she saw a light blush on his cheeks. "I should have known," she whispered, "When I crawled on top of you a few days ago, you wrapped yourself around me and tried to go back to sleep."

Gajeel turned to glare at her and said, "Like I said, you smell good. Not my damn fault it's so fucking relaxing."

"Relaxing, huh?" Lucy said with a smirk and sniffle. "How relaxing?"

"Shut the fuck up, Bunny Girl," Gajeel growled while he laid them down and pulled the blanket over them. Before he could wrap his arms around her, he watched Lucy sit up and pull her shirt off before she threw it into the corner and laid back down. "Any particular reason you're stripping?" he asked with a smirk.

Lucy slid up until her face was right next to Gajeel's, then leaned in to press her lips to his. His hands immediately smoothed across her bare back, causing the corners of her mouth to lift in a small smile while she pulled back. "That's why," she whispered with a light blush. "I like how it feels when you touch me."

Gajeel smirked and said, "Take off more and I'll show you just how good I can make you feel."

"Watch it, cock stain," Lucy muttered while she pressed one last kiss to his lips and moved back down to lie on his chest. "I'm trying to sleep."

"You have got to be the most insane woman I've ever met in my life," Gajeel grumbled while he pulled her closer to him and nestled his nose in her hair.

"See? Smelling me. Fucking weirdo," Lucy whispered with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah... Go to sleep, Bunny," Gajeel muttered, squeezing her lightly. "I've got you."

* * *

"Alright, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said once they had packed up their supplies and Virgo took everything back to the Spirit World, "Time for training."

"Ugh," Lucy groaned and flopped onto the ground. "What torture am I going through today?"

Gajeel grinned and quickly grabbed her feet, then started dragging her across the ground, laughing while she squirmed and shouted every obscenity she knew at him. After a few minutes, he stopped and dropped her feet, then turned around and crossed his arms over his chest with a smug, toothy grin.

Lucy sat up and glared at him, smoothing her hair and clothes down. She carefully stood up and asked, "Well?"

Gajeel swept a hand out to the side, gesturing towards a wide lake with a waterfall on the opposite end. "Speed, then you get to try to summon two golds again," he said, kicking off his boots and removing his shirt before raising an eyebrow at her.

"Huh?" Lucy asked.

"Change of pace for you." Gajeel's eyes glinted with mischief while he continued. "Today, you have to outrun me."

"That's impossible!" Lucy bellowed, throwing her hands in the air in defeat. "You  _always_  catch me!"

"Maybe not," Gajeel interjected. "I'll give you a small headstart to make it even, and you'll need to swim across the lake and get to the waterfall before I get to you."

"And if I fail?" Lucy asked with a grimace, kicking off her own boots. Gajeel had a tendency to punish her with more intense workouts when she didn't meet his standards for training, so she had no idea what he would come up with.

"Then I get to do whatever I want," Gajeel said while openly eying her curves. So far, the fiery little tease had kissed him, let him grab her ass, and given him a blowjob. He could tell there was something that was keeping her from just getting naked and humping, so he wasn't planning on pushing the issue, but it could definitely be used as a form of motivation for her.

Lucy sneered at him and took a step away, only to find herself pulled right into his hard and muscular chest. "And if I succeed for once?" she spat.

"Then you can do what you want," Gajeel answered. "I have a feeling you'll like your advantage here."

"Why's that?"

"Because iron tends to sink in water."

Lucy frowned at him, then said, "No magic."

Gajeel nodded with a wide grin and a raised brow, "Fine, but that goes for you, too."

Lucy nodded her agreement and pulled herself from his grasp, then turned around to face the lake. "How much of a headstart?"

"Ten seconds from the time you touch the water."

Lucy sighed and looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. The denim would weigh her down considerably in the water, and she really didn't feel like being in wet clothes. "Ugh, fine… Asshole," she muttered while walking over to where her boots were at. She turned away from him and pulled her shirt off over her head, revealing a lacy white bra that she was definitely regretting putting on that morning, then shimmied out of her pants. She fastened her belt around her hips, keeping her whip and keys with her and making sure they were fully secured, then blushed ten shades of red when she realized that her white lace panties were a thong, and she had bared her ass to the man behind her. "Fucking kill me now," Lucy whispered.

"Nah, I think I'll just enjoy the view," Gajeel commented, quickly adjusting his pants before she turned around.  _Why? Why did she have to wear_ _ **that**_ _?!_  Gajeel's breath stopped and his eyes widened when she turned around to face him with her hands on her hips, her embarrassment all but disappearing in the aftermath of his comment.

"Stop being a perv!" Lucy yelled, stomping her foot petulantly. When Gajeel's eyes dropped to her chest while her breasts bounced slightly, she looked down and then screeched while she covered her chest. "Goddamnit, Gajeel!"

"Why do you even wear that shit on missions?" Gajeel asked absently while his eyes roved over her hips and down her legs.

"Because it's comfy. Now stop staring!" Lucy yelled. When Gajeel's eyes finally moved back up to hers, she glared menacingly at him and started backing up. She smirked when he narrowed his eyes and said, "You said a headstart when I touch the water, right?"

"Yeah, ten seconds," Gajeel answered while he tensed in anticipation of her running away from him. After her quick nod, he watched her grin widely and start running full speed towards the lake. Just before she reached the water, Lucy bent down slightly and dove into the air, her arms stretching out in front of her and her body arching perfectly over the surface. He couldn't help the small bit of amazement when she finally landed in the water with hardly more than a few ripples, and it grew when he realized that she had used it against him since he had to wait ten seconds and she had landed almost ten feet from the shore.  _Fuck._

Lucy didn't waste any time once she was under the water, and instantly started swimming with powerful kicks of her legs and her arms swooping in circles to help propel her forward. She stayed under the surface as long as her lungs would allow, and only let herself finally start ascending when they were burning with the need for oxygen. She broke free and gulped in large amounts of air, never breaking stride in her strokes that Aquarius had taught her, and grinned internally when she saw the waterfall coming closer and closer. With renewed determination, Lucy put on a burst of speed powered only by her increased strength from the last few weeks of training with Gajeel, and climbed out onto the bank just next to the waterfall. Not a moment later, Gajeel's head and shoulders surfaced just a few feet shy of her with a wicked grin on his face. Lucy was too busy twirling around and jumping for joy that she didn't notice the red eyes that stared at her from the water.

After what felt like an eternity of watching her jump around, Gajeel shouted, "Bunny Girl, you know I can see right through that, right?"

"Ack!" Lucy yelled, stopping herself mid-jump to cover her breasts and the apex of her thighs with her arms. Of course, Lucy never had the best of luck, so she ended up stumbling when she landed and fell back into the water. She spluttered and pushed the hair out of her eyes when she came back up, only to hear an almost silent snickering directly in front of her. Lucy tipped her head back to wet her hair and keep it away from her face, smirking when her chest pushed up to the surface and she heard Gajeel choking on something. "What's wrong?" Lucy asked innocently when she looked at him, "Everything alright?"

"Don't play dumb, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said with a smirk. "If you wanted me to see your tits so badly, you could've just told me."

"I thought my tits did nothing for you," Lucy shot back.

"Damn right they don't," Gajeel answered, even though they both knew her body did all kinds of wonderfully horrible things to him.

"Because you're gay," Lucy supplied with a grin to rival the growl he let out. "I feel like we've gone over this before…"

"Watch it," Gajeel warned, treading water and slowly circling around her. "I'll show you just how wrong you are."

"Riiiight," Lucy taunted. "I swear, I'm having déjà vu right now." She grinned deviously at him, then brought her hands up quickly and splashed him right in the face with a large wave. She laughed when he stared at her in shock for a moment, then squawked and dove under the water when he retaliated. She swam as quickly as possible over to the waterfall, and panicked when she felt a strong hand wrap around her ankle and pull her backwards.

Gajeel yanked on her leg and saw the amusement in her eyes when she surfaced again right next to him. Instead of pulling her closer, he splashed water in her face and dove under the water himself, swimming over to the waterfall with Lucy right behind him. There ended up being a small divot in the smooth platform of rocks behind the waterfall that was just large enough for him to fit into while he waited for her to come by.

Lucy was directly in front of the falls and couldn't find him anywhere. She surfaced and looked around the lake to see if she could spot him somewhere else, then screamed when a hand clamped over her mouth while another wound around her waist. She was quickly pulled through the pouring water and into a heavily muscled chest, and bit down on the hand that was keeping her from screaming out.

Gajeel winced and spun her around, then pinned her to the rock wall and growled at her. "Don't bite me again, Bunny Girl," he whispered while he glared at her.

Lucy smiled wickedly and said, "I beat you to the falls, so I get what I want. That was the deal, right?"

Gajeel shook his head and smirked at her. "Sorry, you beat me to the shore  _next_  to the falls. I got here first."

Lucy was going to fight him on it, but she closed her mouth quickly with wide eyes when she realized he was right. "Shit," she muttered, earning a heated look from the Slayer and a pointed grin. "A deal's a deal," she said while never taking her eyes from his, "What do you want?"

Gajeel leaned in closer until his lips were hovering just over her ear, and felt a shudder run through her. With a smirk, he whispered, "I want… to tell you what you smell like."

"Wh-What?!" Lucy yelled, only to have his hand close over her mouth.

Gajeel winced and said, "Don't yell in my ear. I can hear you just fine." He paused and the corners of his mouth quirked up when she nodded, then he pulled his hand away and looked into her eyes. "You asked me to tell you what you smell like a while back. I want to tell you now."

"Why? I thought you said you were going to take it to the grave."

"Because I do," Gajeel said with a shrug. "I can tell that it's killing you, figured I'd help you out."

"Okay, so what do I smell like then?" she asked warily.

Gajeel leaned in and ran his nose lightly over her tanned skin, and inhaled. It wasn't that he needed to smell her again to answer her question, since her scent had been ingrained in his memory since he found it the day they met, but he always found it oddly soothing and wanted to take it in as much as possible. When he reached her ear, Gajeel's hands slid down to her waist and he whispered, "There's coconut from your shampoo, and vanilla from your soap. But, under that…" He paused and smirked while his nose slowly moved across her jaw to her other ear, taking another small whiff of her scent. "When it's just you… You smell delicious. Like sugar and almonds."

Lucy blushed ten shades of red, fighting the shudder that wanted to run through her. Instead her hands unconsciously slid up Gajeel's chest to grip his shoulders, and she breathily whispered, "Sugar and almonds? That sounds like a recipe for icing."

"It is," Gajeel said, taking the liberty to run his nose down her neck to her partially submerged collar bone. "Almond buttercream icing, actually." He chuckled when her breath hitched, definitely not a reaction he'd expected her to let slip, and took the opportunity to move a little closer.

"How… do you know that?" she asked, gasping when she felt his lips brushing over the pounding vein in her neck.

"I thought I smelled you in a bakery one time," Gajeel said, curious to see if she had changed her mind about keeping him at a distance. "Turns out, they were making icing."

Lucy giggled and sifted her fingers through Gajeel's wet raven locks, smiling when his breath shakily danced across her neck. "You know, I still fucking hate you, right?" she asked.

"Same here," Gajeel said while his lips ghosted up her neck to her ear. "But I told you before that you're hot as fuck, and seeing you in this—" He paused and slid a hand down her hip, his fingers pulling at the top of her panties, "Made it hard to ignore that."

"How hard?" Lucy purred, giggling again when Gajeel's chest pressed tightly to her and he sucked her earlobe into his mouth.

"I don't think you wanna know, Bunny Girl," Gajeel growled, the rumbling in his chest making her shiver.

Lucy roughly pulled his head back by the hair that was wound around her fingers, smirking when he growled at her. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you can't handle me," Gajeel answered with a smirk of his own.

"And what makes you so sure, you bucket of bolts?" Lucy shot back.

"Well, for one thin—" Gajeel's eyes widened when she forced his head to hers and felt her lips on his. Not one to question things while they were happening, his eyes fluttered closed and he pressed himself more firmly against her, his hands sliding down to her hips while he responded with equal fervor to each movement of hers. Her teeth nipped lightly at his lower lip, causing him to growl against her and force his tongue roughly into her mouth.

Lucy moaned when she tasted him, a mixture of metal and cinnamon that she remembered all too well, and her tongue glided greedily against his in a passionate tangle. Her hands moved from his scalp through his hair and down onto his shoulders again, and she slowly raised her legs to wrap around his hips. When he groaned and rocked his hips against her, Lucy pulled back from the kiss with a gasp and looked deeply into his lust-filled crimson orbs while he ground himself against her again. With a sultry smirk, Lucy dove back in for another searing kiss, rolling her hips against him every time he brushed over her clothed center.

Gajeel swallowed each and every moan the blonde let out, and groaned loudly when her chest slid against his. His hand moved up her stomach and lightly teased the underside of her bra-clad breasts before quickly moving around her and flicking the latch on her bra. He felt her moving her arms to take the bra off, then heard it land in a light, wet heap on the rocks behind her. She gasped and arched into his touched when his thumb carefully brushed over a newly exposed nipple, so Gajeel lowered his head to kiss and nip lightly against her neck.

"Gajeel," Lucy moaned, tilting her head to the side to give him better access and flexing her legs just a little to bring her hips more forcefully against his. "Mmm, so good."

Gajeel nipped at her collarbone as he slowly lifted more of her from the water, his other hand sweeping down her body to tightly grasp her hip while he pushed more insistently against her with a groan. Normally, he would have ripped the last shreds of her clothes off and plowed into her with reckless abandon until his lust was sated, but he still had to work with Lucy until her training was done, and he had no clue if she was going to let him touch her like this again.

Lucy's arms wound around Gajeel's shoulders, and her head fell back against the rock behind her while he pinched a nipple between his fingers, flicking another finger across it in time with his hips against her lace-covered center, and ripping a loud moan from her in the process. When he pushed her higher, forcing her breasts to leave the warmth of the water around them and her nipples to pucker under the sudden temperature change, Lucy's hips bucked against his when his closed his mouth over her unattended tip and roughly sucked on it. "Fuck," she moaned, tangling her hands in his hair and bringing him closer to her.

Gajeel's tongue swirled and flicked across the pebbled peak, then he dragged his teeth across it and groaned when she nearly screamed out his name. He smirked when her breathing turned ragged and heavy and one look up at her face showed him a light blush on her cheeks and probably the sexiest grin he'd ever seen while she panted and looked at him. When her hands pulled away from his head as he switched to her other breast, he didn't know what she was planning until he felt one of her hands sliding past his in the water by her hip. The lacy material covering that sweet aroma between her legs was violently ripped away by the blonde herself, then flung out of the water to land almost on top of her bra.

"I'm… I'm not… fucking you," Lucy panted, moaning when Gajeel's fingers slid up and down her slit.

"Why not?" Gajeel growled, biting down on the tender flesh of her breast a little too hard.

"Because I hate your goddamn guts!" Lucy moaned, rolling her hips to try and get him to play nice and stop teasing her.

"So do I, but I'm still willing to fuck you until you can't walk anymore," Gajeel said, pulling his face away from her chest to crash his lips onto hers again. Her tongue dove into his mouth, taking him by surprise when she dominated the kiss so fully. When she pulled away from him, he panted, "What will you let me do then?"

Lucy smirked and sucked his lower lip into her mouth. She let it go with a small pop when he groaned and said, "Tell me what I taste like… And maybe I'll change my mind."

"Shit, Bunny," Gajeel groaned, slamming his lips over hers again while his fingers teased her. He pressed his hand fully over her sex, using the heel of his hand to massage the bundle of nerves that had her tensing up while his fingers kept massaging her outer lips.

Lucy ripped her mouth away from his and pulled herself up onto the ledge of the rocks, her legs spread wide to accommodate Gajeel's broad shoulders, and she looked down at him hungrily while she pulled her belt off and carefully set it down with her undergarments. "Taste me," she moaned, her hands ghosting over the glistening golden curls just above her slit, "Please, Gajeel."

Gajeel's eyes honed in on the feast she had put in front of him, and he felt his mouth watering in response to it. He pressed his nose to one thigh, and inhaled as he moved higher and across her sex to the other thigh. "Mm," he moaned, lightly biting each of her thighs before looking back up at Lucy's flushed face with a grin, "Definitely sugar and almonds." He slowly leaned in, his lips barely brushing over her nether lips, and let his tongue glide up her slit in a sluggish stroke. Lucy's back arched, and a long moan fell from her lips, but Gajeel never broke away from her gaze. "You taste sweet, Bunny," he whispered with a smirk, "Sweeter than you smell."

Lucy blushed and bit her lip, never having experienced a man tell her just how she tasted.  _Hell, most guys I've been with act like going down on a girl is cruel and unusual punishment,_  she thought. She moaned softly when she felt Gajeel's tongue gliding over every inch of her sex, and his hands slid lightly over her legs. Lucy gasped when she felt him circling her entrance, slowly lapping up the excess moisture that her body created, and then her eyes rolled back and her head dropped down with a thud.

"God, I was wrong," Gajeel rasped just before he closed his mouth over her lower lips and lightly sucked, moaning again right along with her. When he pulled back a little he smirked and said, "You're better than icing." With slow and carefully calculated strokes, Gajeel had Lucy writhing in no time, and he looked up to see her already glistening with sweat along with the beaded water from the lake and lightly panting between moans. Deciding to see just how much she would like, he nibbled on first one lip and then the other and flicked his tongue quickly across each when they were nestled between his teeth.

"Gajeel," Lucy moaned, sliding her hands up her body and firmly grasping her breasts, the mounds spilling over her dainty hands. Her back arched again and again, and one hand moved up to tangle in her own hair while she started panting harder with each swipe of his tongue against her.

One quick plunge between her folds and into her core had Gajeel groaning and pressing closer to her while his hands slid around to lightly hold onto her hips. "Bunny," he rasped, his lips brushing over her sex and his hot breath causing a shiver to crawl up her spine, "Fuck, I could eat you up all day."

Lucy was suddenly overwhelmed as her climax crashed through her violently; her whole body tensed and exploded into sensation with no warning whatsoever, and all she could do was yell out the name of the man that brought it out. He didn't give her any time to bask in that heavenly afterglow, and instead moving faster with only his tongue and lips causing her to get loud enough to rival the waterfall right next to them. She moaned over and over while his tongue plunged deeper, flicked across every sensitive area she possessed, even created small waves or rolls while buried inside of her weeping sex. The barbell that she'd felt that speared through his tongue was creating the most glorious sensation inside of her while she tightened around him, and she could even feel the piercings in his chin rubbing against her while he moved. She gasped and shuddered when he started moving a little faster, and when he felt her roll her hips to be closer to him, he moaned and pushed himself more firmly against her.

Gajeel moved up and pressed his lips lightly to her sensitive bundle, making her squirm even more. One hand glided back up and around her leg to brush his thumb over her hip, and he put the other hand to his mouth and quickly stuck two fingers into it before bringing them to her entrance. His hot breath danced across her moist center while those two fingers teased her, and once she was writhing he slowly pushed them into her. "Bunny, you're like a virgin down here," he groaned, marveling at just how tight her moist passage was as it gripped his fingers. All he could picture was how amazing it would feel to have her slick walls clamping down on his cock the way they were on his fingers.

Lucy moaned, tightening her hands on her breast and in her hair and tentatively rolling her hips when she felt Gajeel's fingers invading her. She gasped when his mouth closed over her clit, and couldn't help but push more forcefully against him when she felt the quick jolt of pleasure from his tongue against it.

Gajeel pulled back just enough to talk, his lips still brushing over her, and said, "That's it, Bunny. Let me see how much you like it." When she moaned again, he dove back in. His tongue flicked and swirled over her and his fingers started moving faster, curling and thrusting with reckless abandon while she got louder.

"Feels… So good!" Lucy moaned loudly. "Oh, Gajeel!" Her back arched when he found that wonderfully sweet spot right inside of her, and when it met the hard rock beneath her again she rolled her hips faster to meet each of his thrusts.

Gajeel smirked and moaned against her little nub, and the sound she made when his teeth lightly dragged over it was probably the most gratifying thing he'd ever heard. "How bad do you want my mouth on you?" he rasped, dragging his teeth over her thighs again and again.

"So bad, Gajeel," Lucy whimpered, panting loudly while she looked down at him. "Please… Ngh…" She rolled her hips again when his pace picked up, but she never looked away from him.

"Show me, Bunny," Gajeel growled, leaning up slightly to nibble on her hips while his fingers never slowed. When Lucy hesitated, he growled again and slammed his fingers into her quivering sex as far as they would go, then held them there while he quickly scissored them inside of her.

"Oh god…" Lucy screamed, her back arching again and her eyes going wide as saucers from the tension building in her body. "Gajeel… Please… Oh, fuck…"

After leaving a dark hickey on one hip, he growled again and pulled his hand back only a little before roughly pushing back in. She screamed each time his fingers were deep inside of her, so Gajeel kept going: pulling back only an inch and slamming back in forcefully, then circling or scissoring his fingers before starting all over. "Come on, little Bunny," he growled, dragging his teeth across her stomach to her other hip, "Show me how bad you want it." He smirked when both of her hands shot down to his head, tangling roughly into his hair before forcing him back down to her slippery folds. Once he felt Lucy's fingers in his hair, Gajeel moaned and his eyes fluttered closed while he feasted on her. His fingers pulled mostly out of her dripping sex, then spread her entrance wide open while his head moved down to lap up all of her juices. Her grip on his hair tightened, and her hips rolled against his mouth, so Gajeel added a finger and moved back up to tease her clit with light nips of his teeth and flicks of his tongue. It was absolute heaven as far as he was concerned, and he'd never tasted anything so wonderful in all his life. Her sugary almond scent was becoming stronger as she neared her second climax, and it almost made him lightheaded. Every breath he took, every flavor that burst across his tongue was uniquely Lucy's, and the groan he let out quickly turned into his own animalistic noises while he feasted on everything she had to offer.

"God, yes!" Lucy screamed when she felt his rumbling growl vibrate through his lips and right into her. A spark of pleasure ran through her, causing her hands to tighten in Gajeel's hair and pull him closer to her. "Again, Gajeel. Please…"

 _She wants me to—._  Gajeel's pace quickened with his plunging fingers, his hand turning slightly and changing the angle of penetration again and again, and he didn't hold back anything—growling almost constantly like a wild beast and letting his inner dragon out for a little fun for once. Lucy's breathing changed dramatically, and he felt her tensing around him, so Gajeel pulled his hand back and dropped his mouth to her entrance. He violently plunged his tongue inside of her, circling it as quickly as possible and feeling her walls rippling in tandem with the strokes of his tongue and piercing, and let out another long growl that finally threw her into pure bliss.

Lucy screamed Gajeel's name again and again with each spasm in her sex around his slow lapping tongue, and her back would have bowed off the ground completely while she pulled him even closer if he hadn't wrapped both arms around her hips and waist to keep her still. He drew her orgasm out longer than she'd known possible by continuing those delicious vibrations between her legs, and the small portion of her back that had been able to arch up from her climax finally dropped down to the rock under her in utter exhaustion. Her body completely relaxed, and she smiled lazily while she panted and lightly dragged her nails across his scalp.

Gajeel smirked and licked every trace of Lucy's arousal from her and his fingers while he looked up into her smiling and sweaty face. Once he was done, Gajeel slowly pulled her back down into the water, making sure the rock didn't scratch her and pressed soft kisses up her stomach and between her breasts until she was back in her original position. Lucy smiled softly at him with her hands still in his hair, causing Gajeel to lean down and nuzzle her neck. "You have no clue how fucking sexy you are," he said with a libidinous grin.

"You're right," Lucy panted and tilted her head to the side to run her cheek along his, "But I'm pretty sure you broke me."

Gajeel chuckled and shook his head. "No, if you ever let me fuck you,  _that's_  when I'll break you."

"Very tempting," Lucy purred, turning her head to the side and capturing his lips with hers. She giggled and pulled away to look into his eyes, then said, "You taste so strange now."

"Probably because you just came all over my mouth," Gajeel chuckled.

Lucy rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, but now…" She paused to openly lick his lips, smiling when she sucked his lower lip into her mouth for a moment. "Now, it's metal and cinnamon  _plus_  icing."

"Metal and cinnamon, huh?" Gajeel asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Lucy bit her lip innocently and slowly nodded while she carefully traced over the exposed muscles of his abdomen down toward the band of his boxers. "Yeah," she whispered huskily and nodded, "It's the only time I've thought the taste of metal in my mouth was the best fucking thing in the world."

Gajeel smirked at her while he leaned in to kiss her again. "So, have I changed your mind, Bunny?" he whispered against her lips.

"I don't know," Lucy purred seductively while her hands carefully slid his boxers down his legs. She giggled when Gajeel moved to catch them, and threw them onto the rocks with her own undergarments. Slowly, Lucy slid her legs along up his until they were wrapped lightly around his hips, then she whispered, "Maybe I just want to so some sit-ups."

Gajeel's thumbs ghosted over her hips and he watched her eyes go wide when he carefully pressed his hips against hers and ground against her slit, letting each piercing in his shaft brush over her sensitive bundle. "I can stop if you want," he groaned as he pulled away before grinding against her again.

"Don't stop," Lucy whispered, her body still sensitive from her previous orgasm and instantly flooding with heat. Gajeel moved closer to her, pressing his chest tightly to hers and ripping another moan from her when her nipples brushed against him. She didn't know what to focus on: how her sex rippled with anticipatory pleasure while his piercings glided over it, the way his hands slid over her body as if he couldn't decide what to touch first, how wonderful it felt to be surrounded by him completely, or even how she couldn't get enough of holding onto his hair. Lucy watched Gajeel give her a devilish grin as his lips descended on hers, almost as if everything was in slow motion. His hands finally settled on her rear, and she felt him prodding her entrance, then his lips—those delectable and oh-so-edible lips of his finally touched hers while he slowly pushed into her.

They moaned in unison while Gajeel filled her in one slow stroke, and when he was fully sheathed in her sex it was almost too much for him to bear. The soft, tight passage he'd been dreaming of didn't even come close to the real thing. Her walls were already gripping him so tightly that he thought he might explode, and the resulting clench of her sex around him when she started to roll her hips had him shuddering and letting her lips go on a gasp. "Holy shit, Bunny," he rasped, planting his feet firmly against the only solid surface around them and creating small iron spikes that jutted out from his heels to anchor him to the rock.

Lucy giggled when Gajeel's eyes widened when she rolled her hips again, so she adjusted her grip on his hips with her legs and slowly lifted herself until only his head was nestled in her core. The way those piercings running through his shaft rubbed against her walls just from a single stroke had Lucy's body quivering in anticipation of what was to come. She leaned in and nibbled on his ear, then whispered, "Is that what I am?" She moaned when she slid back down over him, and when he was nestled deep within her, she added, "Your little Bunny?"

"Could be," Gajeel grunted, rocking his hips and smirking when her head fell back and she cried out. "You jump around like one."

"Mmm," Lucy moaned again when she started moving faster, "Then I guess I should keep true to my name."

Gajeel's hands slid from her backside to her hips and controlled each of her movements, forcing her to move slowly over him. "Don't think so, Bunny," Gajeel whispered as he pulled her fully onto him and kept himself in place. "I'm taking my time with you." He rocked his hips against her again, then leaned in and captured her lips in a searing kiss that was completely at odds with their slow pace. Long and slow strokes, filling her completely and retreating until he sat at her entrance, had Gajeel groaning over and over while he felt every flutter and quake of her sex around him while he moved. He let his hands roam freely over her, feeling just how slick her skin was from the water surrounding them giving everything an almost ethereal quality. Gajeel wrapped an arm around her waist when her back arched, smirking into their kiss when her fingers lightly dragged from his shoulders down to his chest and started massaging him as if she never wanted to forget what he felt like.

Lucy's hands roved over him in slow circles, taking in each flexing muscle and every bit of surprisingly soft skin she found. Every scar on his body, she knew had to be from battle—hard-won through grit, determination, and a refusal to fail—and she couldn't help but trace each of them. Her breath stuttered when he was planted firmly inside of her and started rocking his hips, and she felt renewed warmth spreading slowly through her body. "Gajeel," she moaned softly, sliding her hands up from his toned chest and mouthwatering shoulders to his neck and finally up to his cheeks. Something was different about how he was moving with her. She had expected it to be rough, with him plowing violently into her and forcing each and every moan and scream to rip out of her with an intensity she'd never known possible; that was how it had been when his face was nestled between her legs. Instead of that rough fuck she was expecting, Gajeel was slow and careful, almost reverent in the way he touched and caressed her. She'd been with men that took things slow, but they treated her like a fine piece of century-old china that needed to be carefully tended; however, even with how slowly Gajeel was moving, there was still a wild side to him that she could feel every time they were joined. He was a powerhouse, a mighty force to be reckoned with, and no matter how gentle he tried to be there would always be that latent surge of power that coursed through him into any action he performed. Lucy looked deeply into those slitted crimson eyes while he lowered her onto himself again. The only sounds around them were the gentle lapping of water on the rocks, the torrential waterfall just behind Gajeel, each of their soft pants or moans, and the pounding of Lucy's heart while she watched some emotion she couldn't name flicker across his face as he looked back at her. Lucy took the time to really look at him, allowing her fingers to openly explore each of the hard angles and piercings adorning his face. She decided that he was definitely handsome, in a rugged bad-boy, fearsome, and ferocious sense of the word. He was wild, just like a dragon, from the look in his eyes to his magic and even down to the way he moved with silent but deadly grace. She shuddered when his hand slowly ghosted up her side to cup her breast, and she smiled softly while her thumbs caressed his cheeks and she leaned in to press her lips to his.

Gajeel honestly had no clue what had come over either of them. Sure, he wanted to take his time because when her hot center was gripping every inch of him it was like heaven, but being with Lucy felt different somehow and he just couldn't place why. Originally he had planned on banging her brains out until she was a blubbering mess that couldn't walk for days, because honestly she had been teasing him for far too long. Once he'd seated himself as deeply as possible though, something had made him want to take his time. Maybe it was  _because_  he was going slowly and letting himself really enjoy every moan and gasp he elicited from her, instead of the usual in-and-out fuck he was known for, that made it different. The way her skin slid against his, how her legs tightened around him to bring him just a little bit closer with each thrust, everything had him itching to hold her tightly and never let go. She was more than sexy in that moment when he looked at her: her hair still completely soaked with the tips of it floating lazily in the water by her shoulders, how the light mist from the waterfall surrounded her as if she was the only one who was safe from being obscured by it, the blush on her cheeks that matched the color of her lips, how her eyes seemed to see right through him while she ran her hands across his face. Lucy was sexy, there was no doubt about that, but Gajeel finally saw something else when he looked at her then. She was beautiful. He saw the small scars on her nose and cheek from when he'd beaten her that first day before they entered the mountains, and realized that they were already starting to fade as if nothing could mar her perfectly tanned skin for long. The small lift in the corners of her mouth when she smiled at him took his breath away; never in his life had someone looked at him like that, as if he was the only thing that mattered in that moment and they couldn't be happier about it. He couldn't even try to rationalize that she was thinking about something else, because her focus had been solely on him the entire time. It was confusing as hell, wondering why she would look at someone like  _him_  that way, but he didn't dwell on it once her lips touched his.

While Gajeel was the one controlling just how slowly they were going, and Lucy felt her body slowly winding up with each careful thrust into her moistened folds, she was the one that gained the upper hand in their kiss. He had groaned and started moving against her mouth almost urgently, and Lucy pulled back only to see confusion and a little apprehension dancing in his eyes. Her thumbs caressed his cheeks again, and she gave him the same smile while she moved back in to kiss him. First his upper lip, then lower, then she dragged her lips lightly from one corner to the other while he relented and let her take the lead. His lips were barely parted, but Lucy pushed down the urge to plunge her tongue into his mouth and settled for gently kissing him. She hardly felt the mist of the waterfall or the rock that was behind her while she was in his embrace. There wasn't a single thing that could have pulled her away from that tender kiss; at least, that was what she'd thought until his hips angled slightly and his piercings brushed over a newly discovered sweet spot inside of her. Her body felt like it was on fire when he withdrew slightly and rubbed over it again, and Lucy's keening cry was only muffled for a moment before she ripped her mouth from his and let it loose.

Gajeel couldn't remember a time when he'd felt or seen anything as wonderful as Lucy crying out while her sex rippled around him. He groaned when he felt that spot that made her whimper and writhe, and started moving just a little faster over it only to hear her whisper his name. He lightly dragged his teeth down the column of her throat, growling once he found the small area on her neck that he knew would melt her like butter. His tongue darted out to draw large circles over it before he sucked the tender flesh into his mouth, causing her hips to buck against him. "Careful, Bunny," he rasped, his lips ghosting over the wonderfully dark mark he'd left on her, "You don't want me to lose control, do you?"

Lucy's head fell back against the rock, her hands sifting into his hair again to press his lips and teeth firmly against her throat, and she moaned, "Yes. Please." She heard his breath catch in his throat just before his hands moved to her hips and started guiding her more forcefully onto his impressive length.

Gajeel chuckled darkly, nipping at the other side of her neck while she started moaning louder and almost drowning out the crashing water of the falls. "You asked for it," he groaned before roughly sucking the pristine skin on her neck into his mouth.

The water around them started splashing violently as his picked up the pace even further, but Lucy really couldn't find it in her to care how much water went up her nose when she had this perfectly herculean morsel ripping her body to shreds with more pleasure than she'd ever experienced before. She didn't care how loud she was, or that something in Gajeel seemed to shift when he plunged into her soaking depths, because this was exactly what she'd wanted from him to begin with. The slow pace they had started with, the tender touches, and somewhat alarmingly deep connection she had felt with him while she looked into his eyes all faded into the background in the wake of the beast she had unleashed in him.

Before Lucy could even react, Gajeel slammed into her one more time and vaulted out of the water, roughly pinning her down on the smooth rocks before he started ravaging every inch of bare flesh his mouth could reach. His hips snapped relentlessly against her, and he didn't even try to stop the wild part of himself from surfacing once he heard her screaming his name. Her hands left his hair and slid down his shoulders, her hips lifting to meet each thrust with equal urgency. "You're so fucking tight," he growled against her neck, moaning loudly with her when her walls clamped down on him again.

Thrust after forceful thrust into her had Lucy screaming and digging her nails into Gajeel's shoulders, and every growl that rumbled through him echoed inside of her in a way that she could hardly describe. He nipped and sucked on her neck, slid his hands over her waist to tease her breasts, and pulled himself completely out of her sex before violently slamming back in to the hilt. "Fuck!" Lucy screamed, "That's it… Ohh, Gajeel!"

"Tell me how you want it, Bunny," Gajeel growled, nipping at her collar bone and trailing bites up to her lips. He angled his hips and pushed faster than before, snarling wildly when her nails dragged down his back.

Lucy's back arched and her eyes went wide when Gajeel plowed into her faster and faster. "H-Harder, Gajeel. God, fuck me harder!"

Gajeel's teeth were bared as he really let loose, pistoning in and out of her with reckless abandon and not caring in the slightest that she would have bruises where his fingers pressed into her flesh. Her screams spurred him on to new heights, the pain of her nails in his back dulling until all he was aware of was how tightly her sex was gripping him and the wild expression on her face. "That's right, Bunny," he growled, his voice sending erotic shivers down her spine that he could almost feel reverberating in his own. He grunted and growled again and again, his pointed teeth scraping roughly against her chest as he neared his own end. "Give me all you've got."

Lucy wrapped her legs around his snapping hips and used the training he'd given her to flip him onto his back. She sat up and slammed herself down onto him, then reached behind herself to grasp his thighs while she started to ride him. He pounded into her from below, his teeth bared in a snarl and his eyes wild and blazing with passion, his grip on her hips never loosening while he forced her to move faster. "Gajeel!" she screamed, teetering on the edge of her climax when she felt him pressing against her back wall again and again. "Oh fuck… Right there…"

Gajeel grinned wickedly while he watched her full breasts bouncing as she rode him. Her body was still slick from the water and arched back perfectly while she gripped his flexing thighs, but her sex was practically gushing as she sat so close to her orgasm. He knew right then that he was right earlier: she was beautiful. He could hardly hold himself at bay, but he needed to know what she felt like while she crested that peak. His pace faltered only once before he reined himself in, and he reached up with one hand to hook it around her neck and slam her lips onto his. His tongue dove into her mouth, and he tasted a small bit of her blood while it battled with hers. They were moving frantically against one another with no inhibitions, only reveling in the feel of their skin gliding against each other as their bodies continued to tighten. Just when he couldn't take it anymore and plunged into her with one more powerful thrust, she broke. He roared as he spilled himself deep within her spasming sex, marveling at how her scream of his name could rival his own roar, and held her firmly in place while her body sucked every last bit of his seed further into her.

Lucy collapsed once the tension in her body evaporated, her head lying heavily on Gajeel's chest. She whimpered and panted while her body was wracked with post-coital tremors, and when Gajeel's hands finally slid up her back from her hips, she couldn't control how her back arched under his touch making him moan softly. Her hair was lying over her eyes, but she wasn't able to find it in herself to move it so she could see him. There was no way for Lucy to tell the difference between the water and sweat on him when her hands finally started working enough to glide along his chest, but it didn't matter. His metal and cinnamon scent filled her nostrils with each short breath she took, and all she could hear was the thundering beating of his heart against his chest.

Gajeel listened to every little noise and mewl that accompanied Lucy's still tremulous quakes in the aftermath of her orgasm, and found a smug grin on his face when he realized she was smiling. His hands absently smoothed over her back while he tried to get his breathing back to normal. It was the first time he could remember letting loose with a woman, because there weren't many chicks that could honestly handle the kind of punishment he dealt out when the wilder side of him surfaced. There weren't many times he'd come even remotely close to doing it, because just a bite from him usually had the chick he was with either bitching at him or melting on the spot and unable to handle anything else. Lucy on the other hand wanted it all, she wanted him to lose control with her, to make her scream and beg, and for his hands and teeth to dig into her. She took everything he dished out and still wanted more if the way she'd rolled him over and started fucking his brains out was any indication. Her scent permeated the thick mist of the waterfall, and it nearly lulled him into a deep sense of relaxation. Honestly, if he was a romantic, this would have been the perfect place to take someone he cared about: the lake and waterfall itself was serene and a perfect picture of the wonders of nature, the intimate scenery behind the fall itself where you could barely see through the cascading flow of water into the clearing just outside. Hell, even without being a romantic or sappy person in general, Gajeel was able to appreciate just how perfect it was to be where he was; not only surrounded by nature—something he'd come to appreciate more based on Metallicana's teachings—but lying beneath a beautiful blonde that had somehow rocked his world in the sack.

Lucy hummed softly when Gajeel's fingers pushed the hair from her eyes, and she slowly turned to look up at the cocky, yet lazy, grin and fully sated eyes that were watching her every move. "You broke me," she whispered with a smirk, "I'm sure of it now."

Gajeel chuckled and withdrew himself carefully, fully enjoying the way Lucy didn't even try to hide how she moaned when he moved, while he rolled onto his side and kept her nestled in his arms. "Told you I would, Bunny," he whispered. "That's what you get for letting me lose control with you."

"Maybe I like it," Lucy whispered back. "That was by far the best fuck I've ever had. You've restored my faith in humanity, Gajeel."

"Huh?" Gajeel asked while raising an eyebrow at her.

Lucy giggled and said, "I told you before we left town, I haven't found a guy yet that can come close to pleasing me. Apparently, I've been looking in the wrong places. Maybe now I won't have to get myself off after fucking someone."

"That's just sad, Bunny Girl," Gajeel retorted. "Please tell me you're kidding."

Lucy shook her head sadly and propped herself up on her elbow. "You don't know the half of it. Find a guy, take him home, and he's either  _severely_  lacking in size or ability. Once he's out the door, I'm sprawled out on the bed finishing the job he either didn't start to begin with or couldn't finish."

"Damn," Gajeel muttered, closing his eyes when he felt her fingers dancing along his abs while she traced the ridges of his muscles. "You need to get off, you come to me. Trust me, I'm  _more_  than happy to get the job done."

"Oh, yeah?" Lucy asked with a smirk, blushing lightly when his fingers mimicked hers across her back and shoulders, "And why might that be?"

Gajeel's eyes peeked open to look at her, and he had an answering smirk as he said, "Because watching you get off is probably one of the hottest things I've ever seen."

Lucy rolled her eyes and leaned in to softly kiss the piercings in his chin. "I figured it was just the guild's motto rubbing off on you. 'Get the job done,' right?"

Gajeel chuckled and shook his head at her. "Nah, but I think it might be a gift to the rest of the world. Maybe you won't be so damn bitchy if you're getting a good fuck."

Lucy sighed and pinched Gajeel's side, smiling sweetly when he growled and glared at her. "Gajeel, you might be a beast in the sack, but I don't think your dick has the power to change someone's personality. Are you going to stop being an asshole just because I'll be fucking you?"

"Damn," Gajeel laughed, "Well, I tried… Sorry universe, she's not fucking changing."

Lucy laughed right along with him and leaned down to press one last kiss to his lips before she wiggled out of his arms and slid into the water.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gajeel asked. "Plan on getting in touch with nature by running around naked as hell?"

Lucy giggled and shook her head while she bobbed up and down in the water. "No, I'm planning on cleaning myself up before I put my clothes back on. I'm all for fucking you, but I don't need your cum sticking to my legs."

Gajeel's eyes widened and he dropped his head to the ground with a grimace.  _How the fuck did I not think about that?!_ "Please tell me—"

Lucy rolled her eyes and huffed. "Already got it covered, dumbass. Do you really think I'd let your dick anywhere near me if I wasn't on the pill?"

"Thank god…" Gajeel whispered. "He'd fucking  _kill_  me if I knocked someone up…"

"Who?" Lucy asked, pulling herself back up onto the rock once she was clean and lying back down next to Gajeel.

"That damn iron gecko," Gajeel grimaced.  _Yeah, I'd be a small bloody speck on the bottom of his foot if I got someone pregnant without being her mate._

Lucy laughed and shook her head. "You mean your dragon?" When Gajeel nodded and stared at the rocks above them in a slight daze, she asked, "Why would he kill you?"

"Can't tell you that," Gajeel answered. He looked over at Lucy to see her frowning and rolled his eyes with a sigh. "It's a Slayer thing, that's all I can say. Trust me, you don't wanna know."

After a moment, and realizing he wasn't going to say anything more on the subject, Lucy sighed and nodded. "Fine, you won't say. It's a secret Dragon Slayer code or something."

 


	5. Arc 1: His Other Side

 

They sat in silence for a long while, with Lucy's head lying on Gajeel's chest and looking out through the waterfall while he kept absently rubbing soothing circles over her back and had his nose nestled in her hair. "Gajeel," Lucy whispered with a smirk.

"Hm?" Gajeel grumbled.

"You know I can practically  _hear_  you thinking, right?" Lucy slowly lifted her head to see the Slayer frowning and staring at the rock ceiling above them. When he didn't answer her, just continued rubbing his hand over her skin, Lucy sighed and roughly pinched his nose shut.

"I can still breathe through my mouth, Bun—"

Lucy giggled, throwing one leg over his hips, and used her free hand to clamp down on his mouth. "What was that?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Gajeel glared at her, not willing to accept that she'd actually gotten one up on him. Instead of using his hands, because he was perfectly content holding her hips, Gajeel snaked his tongue out and gave her hand a long lick in the hopes she would let go before he really needed the air.

"Hm," Lucy hummed, "You know, I think it was better when you were between my legs. Try again." She laughed when Gajeel's eyes widened, clearly having caught him off guard by her comment, and her laughter only increased when he tried to yell at her.

Gajeel growled and glared at her again, finally deciding to get her back. His grip on her hips tightened, and he roughly ground her slit against his already hardening member. Honestly, just the sight of her completely naked in his lap had him standing at attention, but when her body shook from her laughter it took everything in his power not to just flip her over right then. He watched with amusement as her laughter died down instantly and turned into a breathy moan, and her grip on his mouth and nose loosened enough for him to breathe.

Lucy looked down at Gajeel with fire in her veins from just the single movement, and saw his head tilting back just a little to pull the side of her hand in between his teeth. He ground her against himself again while he bit down on her hand, causing Lucy's head to fall back and another moan to spill from her. When he pulled back, she angled her hips slightly, causing Gajeel to slowly fill her when he pushed her hips down again. Gajeel's mouth was still on her hand, and the vibrations from his groan while he entered her seemed to fly through her body and pulse into each and every nerve, lighting her up over and over.

Gajeel dropped Lucy's hand, sliding his own from her hips around to her backside and firmly squeezing when she started to slowly ride him. "Remind me to bite you more often," he groaned, rocking his hips every time they were fully joined.

"I think I can do that," Lucy moaned with a smirk as she lowered her head to capture his lips with hers.

* * *

"Bunny Girl, I'm gonna beat your ass if you don't get your shit together!" Gajeel shouted, crouching low with his arms in a defensive position. "Seriously, you're not even trying."

"That's because we spent a whole month working on everything  _but_  offense!" Lucy bellowed, snapping her whip off to the side in her frustration and glaring at the metallic scales covering her trainer.

"Right, and for the next week we're working on offense," Gajeel countered. "What's the issue?!"

"You taught me how to grapple, dodge, block… everything but how to initiate an attack. I can counter what you throw at me, but me coming at you is completely different!"

"Bunny—" Gajeel sighed.  _It's the first damn day of this, of course she doesn't really know what to do yet._ Gajeel had wanted to see what she would do when she was directed to attack him, which was why he'd activated his scales—he really didn't feel like having lash marks all over from that damn whip of hers. Instead of attacking, Lucy had tried to get him to attack her again and again so that she could counter his own movements. That wasn't the point of the lesson; the point was for  _her_  to make the first move.

"—Not to mention the fact that I don't use my magic as often as—"

"Bunny Gi—" Gajeel growled. Of course he wasn't letting her use her magic just yet. She needed to learn how to attack an enemy before her spirits were brought into the mix. Gajeel had focused on teaching her how to defend herself or get out of any sort of hand-to-hand scenario because—just as she had pointed out before—her magic was based on tactics, not on brute force. Defense was what Gajeel had been taught first, so that's what he taught her. As far as he knew, that's just how it was done.

"—Keep saying 'what if you don't have your keys?' Well, let me tell you—"

"OI!" It was a completely plausible point. She used a holder type magic, which meant that if her keys were taken, she wouldn't have any magic to defend herself with. Or even if she was running low on magic, she needed to know how to handle any given situation without it. There were just too many factors to try and always rely on magic.

"—Fucking asshole! You're a sorry sack of shit if you think—"

"GODDAMNIT WOMAN!" Gajeel roared. He'd watched her completely lose focus while she started in on another bitching session in the middle of their sparring, pacing back and forth and wildly waving her hands around, only turning to face him on occasion and pointing at him accusingly as if she was scolding a child.  _Well, another lesson I guess: Don't lose focus on your target._  Gajeel took a deep inhale, channeling his Dragon Slaying magic, then brought both fists to his mouth. "Iron Dragon's—"

Lucy smirked when she saw the attack Gajeel was planning on using. Just before the magic circle could appear, she shot her whip out and wrapped it around his wrists, tightly binding them together and breaking his concentration so the spell failed. She didn't hesitate once she saw that she'd caught him off guard, and roughly yanked back on the whip to drag him to the ground. Normally, he would have flown into the air, even though Gajeel was almost too heavy to fling when his scales weren't activated. With them active, the best she could manage is pulling him to the ground and closer to her. With a running start, Lucy rushed at the still shocked Slayer and pulled back her leg to kick his face as hard as she could manage, internally thanking him for adding an iron lining in the toes of her boots so she wouldn't break her foot trying to attack him.

A strong kick, much stronger than he'd anticipated, landed on the right side of Gajeel's jaw, quickly snapping his head to the side and causing him to roll a few feet away. He jumped up to his feet and saw that the whip had come undone from his wrists at some point.

Lucy smirked and snapped her whip again when Gajeel started circling around her with an evil glint in his eyes. "Don't lose focus on your target, Gajeel," she taunted, "Just because I'm bitching at you doesn't mean I'm not watching."

Gajeel chuckled, lunging at Lucy's waist and seeing her dodge to her right. He threw a hand to the ground and kicked his feet over his head, extending one leg into a pole at just the right time to catch her side and fling her back towards her left from the impact. Once she hit the ground, he pounced and straddled her hips with her hands pinned and stretched to their limits above her head. "That won't always work, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said with a dark grin. "Enemies don't let you rant, they go for the kill."

Lucy's eyes widened when Gajeel bared his teeth and dove down at her neck as if he would really tear her throat out. He stopped just as his teeth touched her skin, and she couldn't help the shiver that instantly ran through her, or how exciting it was to feel his sharper-than-normal teeth dragging lightly over her. Lucy's eyes closed and she stretched out her neck, moaning softly when she heard a low growl rumbling through his chest.

"Is this turning you on, Bunny?" Gajeel asked, letting his lips dance along the column of her throat. "You like it when I'm just a bite from killing you?"

Lucy gasped when she felt the cool metal of Gajeel's lips sliding up to her ear, and she shuddered when he pulled the dainty lobe between them and lightly sucked—barely letting his teeth graze it. She felt him moving her hands together, then pinning them with just one of his while the other slid slowly down her bare arm, wracking her body with a constant shiver when she felt a single claw dragging down it.

"Answer me, little Bunny," Gajeel growled. "Do. You. Like. It?"

Lucy moaned again when his hand ghosted over her breast, barely brushing over the nipple before moving down to her waist and then hip. "Yes," Lucy whimpered, panting softly when his lips glided over her cheek to hover just over hers.

"Do you  _want_  me to kill you?" Gajeel asked with a smirk.

"No," Lucy whispered as she stared into the slitted and almost feral red eyes just above her. "I just wanted you on top of me." She finally lifted her head and closed the small gap between them, moaning softly when she realized his scales were still activated and he was finally letting her kiss him like this. While his lips were normally soft, yet strong, the addition of his scales made them wholly unrelenting. If it wasn't for Gajeel actually kissing her back, Lucy would have thought she was kissing an iron statue. Her tongue darted out and dragged across his lips, begging him to let her in, and she couldn't believe how enjoyable the increased metallic tinge to his scent and taste had become.

Gajeel slowly deactivated his scales, letting them fade until it was only his lips that were covered in metal. He pulled back once Lucy's tongue slid across his lips and said, "Sorry, Bunny. My teeth are too sharp that way. I'd probably cut your tongue off even if I tried to be careful."

"Well, we wouldn't want that," Lucy said with a smirk, "You said you'd rip it out, not cut it off."

"You know the lesson is for you to initiate an attack," he said softly. "I'm teaching you the same way he taught me, so just bear with me."

Lucy sighed and nodded. "But you haven't taught me what to do yet," she answered.

Gajeel chuckled and shook his head, rubbing his nose along hers and causing her to giggle. "That's because I want to see what you'll do first. I have to know where you're at before I can actually teach you anything. Otherwise, I might end up wasting time showing you something you already know. Make sense?"

"Yeah," Lucy said. "Now get back down here and ravage me." She paused for a moment when Gajeel chuckled, then added, "I'm horny as hell, and it's all your fault."

Gajeel leaned back in and captured her lips in a rare gentle caress. "Time to get back to work, Bunny Girl," he whispered. "I'll be all over you later on, but we've gotta focus."

Lucy pouted when Gajeel pulled away and helped her to her feet. "Fine, but I get to see you naked with your scales on tonight," she said, crossing her arms under her chest.

"You know you're fucking insane right?" Gajeel asked, shaking his head and laughing.

"Gajeel," Lucy said seriously, "Crazy people don't know that they're crazy. If they did, then they wouldn't be crazy. They would be normal people that were worried about being crazy."

"Right, but I called you insane," Gajeel pointed out while they circled each other again, "That puts you on a whole new level. You could be fully aware of being insane. Besides, only an insane person would put that much thought into whether or not crazy people know they're crazy… Just sayin'."

"But I'm not insane!"

"Psychotic?"

"No."

"Deranged," Gajeel supplied.

"No."

"A whack job."

"…"

"Bananas."

"… Urgh…"

"You've got a screw loose!"

"Goddamnit, Gajeel."

"I know! You're mad as a hatter!"

"I'm gonna make  _you_  into a hat, Gajeel."

"Okay, okay," Gajeel said with a smirk, "You're not insane."

"Thank you," Lucy huffed, throwing her hands into the air.

"But, you're definitely not all there," Gajeel said with a wide grin, grunting when he was tackled to the ground by a very angry blonde woman.

* * *

Lucy furiously wiped her hair from her face for the hundredth time that day, since the sky had decided to open up and try to drown her in the most ridiculous storm she'd ever been in. The ground was slick with mud that caked her boots, causing her less traction as time went on, and she was completely soaked from head to toe in a white tank top and a blue mini-skirt. It wouldn't be so bad if they were actually making their way back towards the guild, because then at least she would be closer to the place they would be sleeping in that night. No, the issue was that Gajeel was forcing her to spar with him without the use of her keys since she had tried to summon two golds—which was almost always a success by this point—along with a silver, and had passed out for an hour. She felt perfectly fine as far as her magic was concerned, but he was being a hard ass about it. "Gajeel, I'm fucking soaked!" she shrieked, trying to see through the downpour to figure out where the guy went.

Gajeel grinned as he slowly walked up behind her. She couldn't hear him over the rain, mainly because she wasn't focusing enough to  _try_  and hear him and was instead focusing on her sight, so once he was right behind her he leaned down and said, "So am I."

Lucy shrieked and rounded on him, throwing her foot into the air and actually catching his jaw with the hit. She watched Gajeel fall backwards and disappear into the rain again, then frowned when she couldn't find him. Lucy turned in a slow circle, trying to find out where he was so she wouldn't be caught off-guard again.

"Over here," Gajeel taunted from her right, then circled around her when she turned to where his voice had come from. He shot one foot forward, catching her in the center of her back and knocking her onto her hands and knees. "Use more than sight, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said firmly. "Every sense can tell you something different about your opponent's location."

Lucy slowly stood up and grabbed her whip.  _More than sight._  She circled around again, still looking for a clue as to where he could have disappeared to. She screamed when her legs were swept out from under her, and she fell into the mud on her back. She felt the ground shift slightly next to her, even though she couldn't see anything, and instinctually lashed out at it with her whip from where she was laying. A very distinctive and familiar growl sounded, and Lucy grinned as she pulled herself back to her feet.  _I got him._ She quickly lashed out with her whip again, and came back with nothing. "Come on, asshole!" she shouted, turning around again. "Just come out and fucking fight me!"

Gajeel rushed at her from her right while she looked off in the other direction, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her into the ground. Her legs shot up to and kicked him in the face, but his grip didn't waver. "Come on, Bunny Girl. Don't let me choke you."

Lucy glared at the dripping black mane and glowing red eyes she saw. She clipped her whip back on her belt and then reached up and wrapped her hand around Gajeel's thumb that was pressing into her neck. Pushing on the pressure point that Cancer had told her about, Lucy was slowly able to remove his hand, then she pulled her feet to her chest and kicked as hard as she could into his stomach. A gratifying grunt sounded from him before he fell to the ground, and Lucy was instantly on him. She pulled her fist back before he had time to recover, and punched him in the face. "How about  _that_ , you dumb motherfucker?!" she yelled, letting her anger get the best of her for the time being.

Gajeel growled and brought his mud clad boots up, then wrapped them around her chest and slammed Lucy to the ground. He heard the wind get knocked out of her along with a satisfying splashing sound that could only mean she was drenched in mud.  _Oh, this is gonna be good,_  he thought sadistically. "Bunny, you look like shit," he taunted. "No really, it looks like you're covered in shit."

Lucy screeched as she writhed under his legs.  _Think, think, think!_  She kicked her feet up into the air and quickly locked her ankles behind his head. "I'm gonna fucking kill you, Gajeel!"

Gajeel chuckled and used his perfectly free hands to pry her legs off of him, then yelled when he found a fist of hers right between his legs. His eyes closed instantly, so he didn't see the boot that was flying at his face until it made contact and knocked him backwards.

Lucy jumped to her feet and instantly slipped when her boots didn't hold a single bit of traction in the mud. "Oh, fuck this!" she yelled, quickly scraping the worst of the mud off and trying to keep an eye on where Gajeel was still lying on the ground. A flash of lightning in the sky temporarily blinded her, and the accompanying thunder drowned out even the noise of the rain as it continued to pour. When her senses returned, the pile that was Gajeel was gone. "Shit," Lucy mumbled, turning around again and again.

Gajeel's fist connected with the side of her head, instantly knocking her to the ground. "Shit's right, Bunny Girl," he growled. "Don't hit me in the nuts again. Didn't your mommy teach you better than that?"

"Don't talk about my mom, Gajeel," Lucy warned, venom filling her voice as she tried to stand up.

"Aww, what's the matter?" Gajeel taunted, grinning at the prospect of having something else to get under her skin. "Did she only give you big tits and blonde hair?"

"Shut up," Lucy seethed, lunging forward and striking at him with punches and kicks in every direction she could manage.

Gajeel cackled and blocked everything she threw at him. "Wow, Bunny Girl. Guess she was too stupid to give you a brain. It's alright, you'll get by somehow."

"Don't fucking talk about her, Gajeel!"

"I'll talk about any cunt I—"

"ARRGH!" Lucy feinted with a kick to his stomach, and once he caught her leg, she put every ounce of strength she possessed into kicking his throat. The pair fell to the ground, and she was instantly on him, pounding into him with everything she had. "How  _dare_ you call her that, you stupid piece of shit!" she screeched. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Bunny Girl!" Gajeel shouted, trying and failing for once to block the wild blows from the woman on top of him. "Chill the fuck ou—"

"Do you want to know how it feels, asshole?!" Lucy bellowed.

Gajeel found a small opening and instantly took it, hitting her with a quick jab to her ribs that knocked the wind out of her. He threw her off of him and wiped a hand over his face to see that it was coated in blood.  _Seriously fucking sore spot, apparently…_

"I can't believe I let you fuck me!" Lucy yelled, "You're fucking disgusting. I could have fucked a goddamn croissant and been more satisfied than whatever the fuck  _that_  was!"

"Really," Gajeel growled. "Then why'd you come back begging for more, skank?"

Lucy stalked over to Gajeel, roughly poking his chest. "Because I felt  _sorry_  for you, you gold-plated shit gibbon!"

Gajeel snarled and headbutted her, knocking her to the ground again. Usually she was down for the count after a hit from his head, so he was surprised when her foot shot out and kicked his knee hard enough to make it buckle.

"You couldn't satisfy me, Gajeel," Lucy spat, pulling her leg back to kick him again. "You're not man enough. You're just fucking pathetic!"

Gajeel caught her leg and roughly pulled her over to him, then pinning her to the ground yet again. "You seemed to be singing a different tune before, Bunny Girl," he growled.

"It's called faking it, dumbass," Lucy said with a malicious grin. When Gajeel snarled in her face, she laughed and shook her head. "Poor baby, doesn't like it when his manhood is called into question?"

"Watch it," he warned, "You're treading on thin ice."

"What are you gonna do, you limp-dicked bastard?" Lucy ground out. "Come on, tell m—"

Gajeel knew there was only one way to get Lucy to shut up, so he moved one hand to her hair and roughly pulled her head back, then dove in once her mouth opened on a scream. His tongue swept into her mouth once, twice, and by the third time she was moaning into the kiss and grinding her sex against him. He let her hands go and groaned when she instantly dropped them to the buckle on his belt. He pulled his head back long enough to pull his shirt off, tossing it to the ground as he claimed her lips again.

Lucy felt Gajeel's hands on her belt, deftly loosening it and setting it gently off to the side. She gasped when he quite literally tore her clothes off of her, and couldn't suppress her loud moan when his head dropped to her breasts. She didn't care in the slightest that they were lying in the mud while the rain violently poured down on them, and there was even some part of her that thrilled at the thought of fucking him out in the open. It was dirty, gritty, and downright grungy to be buck naked and rolling around in the mud while she let her hormones run wild, but Lucy wanted nothing more in that moment than to be the nastiest little pervert in the world. Gajeel's tongue swirled quickly over her pebbled peak, then his teeth clamped down causing her to cry out a slew of curses.

"Tell me you want me, Bunny," Gajeel growled as he lined himself up at her entrance, rubbing his tip against her slick sex and itching to slam himself in and make her scream over and over.

"Yes," Lucy moaned, her hands sifting into Gajeel's hair and roughly pulling him up to crash his lips against hers again while the rain tried to wash away the mud she'd smeared on him. "I want you."

With a rumbling growl, Gajeel snapped his hips and firmly seated himself deep within her moistened folds. He couldn't have stopped that wild side of his from coming out even if he'd wanted to as his arms wound around her waist in a bruising grip and forced her down onto him again and again. The way she tasted while coated in large droplets of rain was decadent to him. Gajeel had always enjoyed the smell of rain itself, even how fresh the water tasted when he tipped his head back and let it pour into his mouth; so when that same delicious rain mixed with the sugary almond concoction that was the blonde beneath him, it was like he'd died and gone to heaven.

"Gajeel!" Lucy screamed, arching her back and trying to keep up with him while he plowed into her. It was almost painful—how quickly and roughly he was moving, the way his fingers dug into her flesh when he moved one hand to palm her breast, how his teeth kept dragging over her skin—but all Lucy cared about was the winding coil deep inside of her and how each growl Gajeel let out sent the most delicious vibrations through her whole body. His piercings rubbed each and every spot in just the right way, and when he bit down on her other breast, Lucy's head flew back with a scream.

"You like that, Bunny?" Gajeel groaned, pistoning faster and snarling when her hands moved to his back and her nails dug painfully into her shoulders. Every time she writhed beneath him in a vain attempt to keep up with the pace he had set, more mud splashed up and onto the pair of them causing Gajeel to wonder just how dirty they could get.

"Yes," Lucy panted, "God, yes!" Her eyes went wide when he pulled out of her quickly, flipping her over and slamming her body into the mud beneath him.

Gajeel spread her legs and pushed himself back into her with one swift motion. "Shit," he groaned, propping himself up on his elbows and plunging faster and harder with each thrust into her tightening passage. "You feel so fucking good." His hands moved through the mud, sliding up her stomach to pinch and roll her nipples between his fingers, nearly causing his eyes to cross with how she tightened around him.

"Oh fuck!" Lucy panted, fighting to draw in each breath as her body started tensing in anticipation of her climax. Gajeel's chest was easily gliding against her back, and her hands were able to find a small amount of purchase deep in the wet soil, so she forced her body away from the ground just enough that she could start meeting him thrust for thrust. His hands moved all over her, from her breasts down to her hips and even up to her throat, almost as if he was trying to make sure she was completely coated in mud. When Lucy's back arched, her rear pushing just a little higher and changing the angle of penetration, she heard Gajeel's breath catch in his throat before he let out a low groan. His hand dove between her legs and he shot burst after burst of white hot pleasure spearing through her each time his finger circled that sensitive bundle. "Bite… Mmph… Bite me!"

Gajeel grinned, his inner dragon growling its approval at her willingness to appease his wilder nature. "You sure, Bunny?" he asked as he pushed her hair to the side with his nose. "It's gonna hurt."

"Fucking bite me, Gajeel!" Lucy yelled, lifting one hand from the ground and reaching behind her to get a handful of Gajeel's hair and yank him down to her neck when he pulled away slightly.

He felt her sex rippling around him as she neared her climax, and he bared his teeth while he looked down at the mud-covered skin on her neck. Just as her body was about to crest that peak and send her shooting to the heavens, Lucy forced Gajeel's head down and he bit her harder than he'd ever allowed himself to do before, groaning when he felt the tell-tale pop of her flesh as his teeth sunk further in, and the burst of blood that filled his mouth and flowed down his throat. His pace quickened as her muscles clenched around him, and the way his name came tearing out of her mouth during her orgasm had him growling ferociously, wanting nothing more than to continue pleasing her. The metallic tang to her blood mixed with her scent, forcing him to pull his head away carefully before he lost complete control of himself and let any of his magic leak into her.

Lucy could hardly move in the aftermath of such an intense orgasm, but Gajeel hadn't found his own release yet, so her body was still wracked with wave after wave of euphoria while he quite literally fucked her senseless. She didn't know what had made her tell him to bite her, just that it had been one of the most earth-shattering experiences she'd had while she flew over that peak and into bliss. The feeling of his teeth sinking into her just as she fell over the edge had everything dulling into the background—with her body only registering the feel of Gajeel as he filled her, stroked along her spasming sex with each piercing, surrounded her so completely—while the tension in her snapped like a twig. By the time she was aware of anything, Gajeel was up on his knees with her chest pressed to his and her legs draped over his arms. She couldn't understand how he was even able to hold her up like this and still piston into her as quickly as he was, but she honestly didn't want to understand it. At least she wasn't lying in the mud anymore.

He knew her body was on auto-pilot; each moan and pant that he pulled from her was loud and wanton, while her hands slowly sifted through his hair, and answered with a growl or loud moan of his own. His teeth dragged from her neck down her shoulder, nipping here and there while he started climbing towards his release. He watched her eyes slowly open, and knew she was already feeling the effects of him biting her the way he had. Lucy herself was becoming more wild and uninhibited with each forceful thrust, and when her eyes locked onto his he knew that he would never see anything more beautiful in his entire life: Lucy's blonde hair was hardly visible beneath the almost black of the moistened soil, her face streaked with rain and mud along with the rest of her gorgeously tanned body, but it was the way she looked at him—how her eyes bored right into his and showed some emotion he couldn't possibly name—and the way the corners of her mouth turned up while she gasped and moaned. She seemed absolutely free and whole, and no matter how filthy she was he could only see that freedom inside of her.

"Gajeel," Lucy moaned when he sat back on his heels and pulled her roughly down onto him, her legs dropping to the ground so he could tease her breasts.

"Ride me, Bunny," Gajeel grunted, gritting his teeth and hissing when her core rippled around him again. "I love it when you ride me."

Lucy's lips spread into a grin, and she slowly lifted herself until he was almost completely out of her, then slammed back down and reveled in the moan he let out. The rain continued beating down on them, trying and failing at washing away the dirt and sweat that was caked onto them, and she couldn't help but notice just how good he looked while he was completely drenched with his hair hanging limply over his eyes and sticking to him. "That's good, Gajeel," she rasped, listening to his breath hitch when he heard her voice. She watched his eyes roll back with each slow withdrawal, his mouth falling open while he waited for her to give him what he wanted. "Because I  _love_  riding you." Her words sounded more sensual and erotic even to her own ears due to the raspier quality of her voice from screaming, so it wasn't surprising when Gajeel's eyes practically burnt her with the intensity of his gaze while he growled and shuddered. When she'd had enough of teasing him, Lucy planted her feet firmly in the mud and moved her hands to his shoulders, then picked up the torturously rough pace she knew he wanted.

Gajeel knew that Lucy had no clue just how much she affected him, since everything she did while riding him was what gave her the most pleasure. So when she kept herself pressed to his pelvis and started rolling and swirling her hips so his manhood rubbed in different sensitive areas with each move, Gajeel was panting and trying everything he could to hold himself back. Several short strokes, still nestled deeply within her, had his own moans getting louder than he'd ever known possible. Gajeel's eyes widened when her head dropped to his neck and she sucked the skin into her mouth, and his hands dropped to her hips to help her keep moving when her stamina started to wane. He couldn't help but let her hear just how much he enjoyed having her like this, since every roll of her hips took his breath away. She moaned against his skin, and he felt it shoot straight down his spine while he groaned and panted her name.

"Will you let me do it?" Lucy rasped, licking the mark she'd left on Gajeel's neck.

Gajeel smirked and lifted a hand to her head, moving her down to the muscle between his neck and shoulder. "Right there, Bunny," he grunted, "Do it with me."

Lucy giggled, her voice lower and huskier than usual, and she lightly sucked on the skin to make sure it was clean. "All set," she purred, pulling her mud-soaked hair to the side and smiling when she felt Gajeel's lips pressing to the same spot on her. She moaned again and again when he picked up the pace and started forcing them both towards their release faster than she'd thought possible.

Just when he thought he'd burst with no form of control, he heard Lucy's breathing change as she clutched herself to him. With his lips hovering over her, Gajeel felt a ferocious growl rumbling through him, deeper and more animalistic than he'd ever let out. "Do it, Bunny," he growled, grinning when he felt the shiver run down her spine, "Make me cum."

His words caused Lucy's whole body to tense up, and just before she lost all sensation whatsoever, she bit down into Gajeel's shoulder and moaned when she broke through the skin and his blood slowly flowed across her tongue. She heard him roar as he speared into her sex one last time just when she bit him, and once his teeth plunged into her, everything went blank.

Gajeel had never heard or seen anything as breathtaking as Lucy's orgasm that day. Her mouth tore violently away from his shoulder as she screamed his name louder than he'd ever heard before, her back arching and her sex convulsing violently around him. If he hadn't already been on his knees, it would have dropped him to the ground in an instant; between her climax and the intensified euphoria of his own from what they'd done, it took everything in his power to maintain a small sense of control so he could take care of Lucy. As it was, he carefully laid her down on the ground with her shoulders lying on his forearms and her head in his hands to keep her bite marks out of the mud. He shuddered with each diminishing pulse of his shaft, and he peppered her neck and face with soft kisses while she unconsciously mewled in pleasure between pants. Warmth spread through his entire body slowly, creating wave after wave of pure and unadulterated tranquility that washed away every fear and insecurity he'd ever had. His body felt like it was floating and somehow still partially submerged in the viscous mud that surrounded the pair of mages. His senses seemed to dull until he could only focus on Lucy—her breathing, her heart beat, how her skin lightly grazed his, and how she seemed to almost glow as if millions of small lightning bugs had nestled just under her skin and made her more radiant than ever. "Bunny," Gajeel whispered, nuzzling her hair with a lazy grin, "You alright?"

"Fucking hell, Gajeel," Lucy whispered back, finally opening her eyes to see half-lidded red eyes looking down into hers while he hovered over her. Lucy slowly slid her legs along his, moaning softly when her skin met with his and sent tingling pleasure all through her, then smiling when his head dipped down to kiss her. Her tongue slid out and lazily swooped into his mouth only for her to moan and for the kiss to become more urgent when she tasted her blood mixing with his on their tongues. It was metallic in more ways than she knew how to describe—the blood itself, Gajeel's own taste, the iron bar through his tongue—but she was surprised that she was able to actually taste the difference between his blood and hers. Gajeel's blood tasted like sex and raw power, while hers somehow seemed sweet and innocent. Lucy's tongue dragged across his teeth, and her small whimper turned into yet another moan when one sharp point nicked her tongue and he started to suck on it. Lucy's hands slid to every inch of him that she could reach, marveling at the way the mud seemed to make his rippling muscles more apparent.

Gajeel chuckled and pulled back to look down at her slightly dazed face. "Told you that you're fucking delicious," he said.

"How are you not a total space case right now?" Lucy asked after a moment, blinking owlishly up at him.

"Because I'm having too much fun watching you, little Bunny," Gajeel said with the same lazy grin plastered on his face. She smiled up at him, then he dropped his head down to the wound on her neck. His mouth instantly opened to lightly suck on the tender flesh, his tongue laving over it again and again as he made sure the flow of her sweet and delectable blood was staunched. Once the first bite was finished, Gajeel moved across her chest to the other bite on her shoulder. He grinned when she moaned softly while he stopped the blood flow, then slid his nose up her neck to kiss her cheek.

"I feel so strange," Lucy whispered, closing her eyes and smiling when Gajeel's nose dragged across her jaw, the piercings on each side of it somehow feeling like they were all touching her at the same time and sending shivers down her spine.

"Dragon Slayer thing."

"What is?" Lucy asked.

"Biting. I can't do it like  _that_  too often, otherwise something could happen to you—which isn't something you need to worry about… I'll be careful—but, biting each other like that…" Gajeel paused and grinned again, closing his eyes while he took in her scent that couldn't be diminished no matter how much rain or mud she was covered in. "Mmm… Kinda like what happens when you meditate."

"Holy shit," Lucy gasped, "Gajeel, you're high as a fucking kite!"

"I'm not the only one," Gajeel mumbled with a light chuckle, and fully enjoying the way she giggled when his teeth dragged across her skin.

"Why didn't it happen before?" Lucy asked, rubbing her cheek along his with a wide smile. Her hands slid around his sides and she slowly started the massaging his back just so she would have something to do with them.

"Only when you break the skin," Gajeel mumbled, pulling his head back to look at her and try to memorize what her smile looks like. "Any other time I've bitten you, I made sure not to go too deep."

"But why does that work on you, too?"

Gajeel lightly bit his lower lip, chuckling while his eyes filled with mischief. "Because you went wild, Bunny. Like… Nature wild." When she looked confused, he added, "If you can let go with a Slayer, and they can let go with you… Biting like that… Just… Wow."

Lucy giggled and shook her head. "That's not really a good description, Gajeel."

"We weren't holding back, Bunny," Gajeel answered, leaning down to capture her lips again. "I've got a wild beast in me, everyone does. You let yours come play with mine, and apparently they like each other enough to make it happen." He paused for a moment, a pensive look on his face. "I like biting you," he whispered, "Feels  _good._ "

"Well, you have permission to bite me as much as you want," Lucy said with a smirk. She leaned up and lightly nipped at the piercings on his chin, then added, "You're right. It does feel good."

Gajeel grinned as he slowly withdrew from her core. "Mmm, I never wanna leave…"

"So don't," Lucy whispered, wrapping her arms around Gajeel's back and pulling him closer so she could reach his shoulder when she saw a single rivulet of blood slowly moving down onto his chest. She leaned up and ran her tongue along it, giggling when Gajeel moaned and dropped his head limply as it if weighed a ton. She tried to mimic what she'd felt him doing to her, lightly sucking on the wound and then slowly dragging her tongue across it until it wasn't bleeding, and giggled when he started that purring noise she loved to hear.

"I can't keep my dick in you all the time," Gajeel argued, a small pout on his face.

"No, but you can keep me close as can be so you can fuck me constantly," Lucy giggled while she laid her head back down on the ground.

"That sounds like a great idea." Gajeel pulled himself up a little bit, then noticed the rain had finally slowed to a drizzle. "Come on, time to get cleaned up. I wanna get somewhere to set up camp."

"We barely even left our camp from last night," Lucy said while he helped her sit up.

Gajeel took a look around to see the cave they'd slept in the night before less than half a mile away. "Good, we'll go back."  
"But what about getting back to the guild?"

Gajeel gave a half-shrug, then said, "Well, we're gonna be like this for at least the next few hours, so—"

"Wait, few  _hours_?" Lucy asked with wide eyes. She watched that same lazy grin come back while Gajeel fixed his muddy pants back around his hips, leaving the belt undone, then glanced around to see her clothes in two separate piles several feet from them on either side of where they were. "And what the hell did you do to my clothes?"

Gajeel leaned over and grabbed his previously discarded shirt, dipping it into a small puddle to get rid of the worst of the mud, then knelt in front of Lucy with a playful pout. "Aww, grumpy Bunny," he teased, smirking when she started giggling. "I'll help you."

Lucy had no idea that Gajeel could be adorable, but the way his pierced eyebrows had drawn together paired with how his bottom lip pushed out into the cutest pout she'd ever seen had her mind drawing a blank on what to think. Once she heard him talk—with his voice still gravelly and somehow still coming out in a childish voice—she couldn't help but laugh.  _Black Steel Gajeel is fucking precious when he's like this!_

"You're pretty precious yourself, Bunny," Gajeel whispered with a wink, laughing when her face turned beet red and her hands shot up to cover her mouth in utter mortification. He moved forward and put his shirt on her, grinning widely when he saw just how she looked in it.  _Man, she's beautiful._

Lucy's hands dropped to her lap and she smiled up at Gajeel before propping herself up on her knees and bringing her lips to his. "You don't look too bad yourself," she whispered, giggling when a deep blush crossed his cheeks. "Even better when you blush!"

After Gajeel grabbed her belt, he carefully wrapped it around her hips over his shirt and buckled it, then turned around and lifted her onto his back. "Want a ride?" he asked with a grin while Lucy's arms snaked around his neck and her head laid on his uninjured shoulder.

"Please," she whispered. It didn't take long for them to make it to a nearby stream when Gajeel promptly set her down and pulled her boots off. He cleaned them up and sat them on the bank next to her, then Lucy watched as he washed all of the mud and his blood from their sparring off of himself. "I kinda lost it, huh?" she asked with a frown.

"Yeah, but I was being a dick," Gajeel said once he was done and kneeling next to Lucy again. "Come on, Bunny. Time for a bath."

Lucy giggled when he picked her up in his arms and walked back into the stream. "No!" she shouted, wriggling around and kicking her legs in feigned fright. "Anything but water! Gajeel, it's my only weakness!"

"No worries," Gajeel whispered, kissing her cheek, "I'll keep my little Bunny safe."

Lucy blushed and wrapped her arms around his neck while Gajeel knelt in the stream. "So, I'm your little Bunny?" she asked when he started washing her legs off.

"Yeah," Gajeel answered with a smirk and a blush, glancing at her briefly before pulling her arms down to clean them. "You're always gonna be my Bunny."

"Always always?" Lucy asked softly as she started rinsing out her hair. "You'll never have another Bunny?"

"Nope, just you. I don't think I'd know what to do if I had more than one," Gajeel chuckled. "Don't you wanna be my Bunny?"

Lucy blushed and nodded. "Always always," she whispered, moving so she was on his back again. "I can hop around and dance just like one! All for you!"

Gajeel laughed and bent down to pick up Lucy's boots before walking back towards the cave they were going to stay in. "Bunnies don't dance."

"This one does, you should see it sometime. It's wonderful!" Lucy grinned, then paused and frowned. "Wait, if I'm your Bunny, then what are you?" she asked, tilting her head to the side to look at Gajeel's profile.

"I'm a dragon!"

"No, your  _dad_  is a dragon," Lucy said with a smirk.

"Right, but if he's a dragon then so am I," Gajeel retorted.

"So, will you be my dragon, Gajeel?" Lucy asked wistfully.

"Always always, Bunny!" Gajeel shouted with a wide grin, turning to look at Lucy and seeing her eyes soften while she smiled at him.

Lucy giggled again and hugged him while he walked back to the cave. "We should do this more often," she said with a grin, "You're fun like this."

"If we could, I would bite you like this every day," Gajeel answered with a smirk.

"Why can't we?"

"Because he said I can't," Gajeel said. "I'm not allowed to tell you why."

"Secrets, secrets, Gajeel," Lucy hummed playfully. "It's okay, I trust you."

"You do?" Gajeel asked softly, his voice slightly uncertain.

"Mm-hmm! You're a dick sometimes—well, most times—but you're also a sweetheart when you wanna be," Lucy whispered. "Even when you hurt me, I know you're just trying to take care of me."

"You know why, right?" Gajeel asked. When Lucy shook her head no, he said, "Because you're my little Bunny. I've gotta make you happy!"

Lucy beamed at him, and lightly kissed his shoulder. "Today's the best day ever," she said with a smile.

"Yeah it is."

* * *

Gajeel woke up earlier than usual, and looked toward the mouth of the cave to see that it was still fully dark outside, with the smallest single glimmer of sunlight barely peeking over the horizon. He looked down at the blonde that was resting peacefully in his arms, and instantly nuzzled her hair while he let her scent wash over him again and again. After one final deep breath, Gajeel carefully pulled himself away from her, pausing only when he was free to make sure she stayed asleep. He smirked when she rolled over into the spot he'd just vacated, her bare breasts puckering slightly since the warmth he'd provided wasn't there any longer. After quickly putting on a pair of pants, Gajeel silently walked over to the mouth of the cave and looked up at the night sky. It was utterly cloudless, and the lack of lights from any sort of civilization made it so that the stars were brighter than ever. Glancing to the east, he saw the sun slowly making its way up into the sky, and turned to walk back into the cave.

He carefully wrapped the blanket around Lucy and picked her up, noticing how she instantly curled into him once he was close, and carried her to the cave entrance. Once he was settled, with her curled up between his legs and his arms caged around her, Gajeel brushed her hair from her face and whispered, "Bunny, time to wake up."

Lucy frowned and grumbled, nestling closer to the deliciously bare chest that she'd been blessed with sleeping next to.

"Come on, little Bunny," Gajeel chuckled. "Wake up. You'll miss the fight."

Lucy's eyes shot open and she looked around wildly, her body instantly tensing and ready to attack, only to see nothing out of the ordinary. She felt more than heard Gajeel laughing, and turned to sleepily glare at him. "What the fuck, Gajeel?" she whispered as she rubbed her eyes, her voice thick with sleep.

Gajeel shook his head at her, then looked up at the sky. "There's a fight. Figured you'd wanna see it since we're nowhere near a city."

When Lucy looked questioningly up at him, then followed his gaze to look up toward the heavens, she gasped and smiled when she saw just how clear the sky was and how brightly all the stars were shining. Lucy turned slightly so that her back was pressed to his chest and laid her head on his shoulder, giggling when she felt Gajeel's chin resting on top of her head. "The stars are really giving it their all this time," she whispered.

"I don't think the sun's gonna make it easy for them," Gajeel answered with a smirk.

"When is a fight ever easy?" Lucy asked with a snort. "Think they'll win?"

"Probably not," Gajeel answered honestly, squeezing her lightly when he felt her deflate a little, "But, they're stubborn little fuckers, so maybe it'll be different this time."

Lucy giggled and nodded, then looked at the position of the stars and she grinned when she saw Virgo's constellation directly in front of them. "Gajeel," she whispered excitedly, "Virgo's over there."

Gajeel frowned and followed Lucy's line of sight to see the mountains on the opposite side of the range. "Bunny, are you gonna be high every time we watch the sunrise?" he asked with a chuckle.

Lucy scowled and lightly elbowed him, squealing when he squeezed her and growled in her ear. "Her constellation," she clarified, "Is across from us." She pulled her hands from the blanket, pulling it tightly around her chest to combat the cool air around them, then grabbed Gajeel's hand. "See that line of five stars?" she asked as she used his index finger to point to the stars she was talking about.

"Yeah?"

"And then these two branches?"

"Yeah."

Lucy grinned and looked up at Gajeel, then said, "That's Virgo."

"Well, shit," Gajeel muttered with a smirk, "If she's fighting, then I don't know if the sun has much of a chance. She really likes punishing things."

"Well, I think she has more of a defensive position for today. She's off to the side, so she's probably working as a healer for the time being. Once she's directly above us, she'll be handing out punishments left and right," Lucy answered, smiling when Gajeel chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Wait a second…" Lucy frowned and looked around at the stars again. She leaned forward and looked directly above them, then started to pull herself away from Gajeel while she crawled forward slowly to get a better look.

"What the hell are you doing, Bunny Girl?" Gajeel asked.

"Holy shit!" Lucy shouted, reaching back blindly and tugging Gajeel over to her while she gaped at the sky. "Come here, you've gotta see!"

Gajeel raised an intrigued eyebrow and moved forward, pulling Lucy into his arms again when he was next to her. "Alright, who else is up there?" he asked.

Lucy smiled up at Gajeel, kissing his chin lightly while she started pointing out the stars with his hand again. "These four," she said, tracing the imaginary lines to connect the stars of the constellation, "Plus these ten." She slowly drew along them with his hand, her smile widening once they reached the final star. "That's Draco, the celestial dragon."

"Well, it's settled," Gajeel said with a grin, "The sun's getting its ass kicked today. Can't beat a fucking dragon." He listened to Lucy giggle again and sigh happily while they watched the sun rising slowly in the east, a soft golden glow emanating from the horizon and almost lazily lighting up the sky in a brilliant blue.

"You know," Lucy said hesitantly, "There's a story behind each constellation."

"So, what's Draco's story?"

Lucy sighed and laced her fingers with Gajeel's while she looked up at the dragon constellation. "It's said that thousands of years ago, Draco was a dragon that was constantly locked in battles with the gods. One goddess was finally able to defeat him and she threw his body into the heavens, where it twisted around itself over and over. He landed at the North Celestial Pole, and froze from the lower temperature before he could realign his body."

"So why do you sound upset about that?" Gajeel asked warily.

"Because Draco is one of the few constellations that has two stories," Lucy answered, turning to face him and looking into his eyes. "There's the story of how he got up there, and then there's the story of what his constellation signifies."

"Okay…?"

"Draco's constellation signifies the heaven of dragons," Lucy said sadly. As she continued, she found it harder and harder to hold Gajeel's gaze, and eventually gave up and kept her eyes glued to their joined hands. "He was the first dragon to die here on Earthland, and his home in the sky is said to be where all dragons go when their time is up in our world. You never really told me why thinking about your dragon upsets you, and I said I wouldn't push the issue since it's pretty personal… But, I guess I just wanted you to know that…  _If_  that's what happened… Then you know where you can see him."

Gajeel gaped at her, then looked up at the constellation she had pointed out. He wanted to be angry that she would assume Metallicana was dead, because there was  _no way_  his father could really be gone forever without Gajeel having the chance to tell him goodbye. At the same time, Gajeel could see how hesitant she was to bring it up simply because she knew it might upset him to even think about it. She had given him a way to see his father if the dragon had really bitten the dust, and in the event that it was true Gajeel just didn't know how to cope with the kindness she was showing him. "What if…" he asked in a whisper, looking back down at where their hands were still connected, "What if I don't know what happened to him?"

Lucy frowned and looked up at Gajeel. "What do you mean?" she asked softly.

"What if I don't know whether he's dead or not?" Gajeel asked, frowning as he remembered the day he'd woken up to find he'd been left alone again. "I can't really look at their heaven to see him if he's not there…"

Lucy pulled one of her hands from his and lifted it to his cheek, then smiled gently at him once he looked up at her. With her thumb lightly tracing along his skin, she whispered, "Then look at Draco when you miss him. Heaven or not, it's still a dragon that you can see. Who knows… Maybe Draco will tell him, and he'll know you're thinking about him."

Gajeel sighed and said, "How's that gonna happen? I don't know where he is, so how would Draco know?"

"Because Draco's in the sky every night, all across Earthland," Lucy said, "If he's still around here somewhere, then Draco will see him. And, if he's up there with Draco, then it's as simple as turning around and talking to him. You can tell the stars anything you want, especially when you're upset. They're very good listeners."

Gajeel looked at her for a long minute, staring deeply into her chocolate eyes and seeing kindness, compassion, and truth in their depths. He didn't know what to say to her, what to do to show her how she'd made him feel. Lucy gave him a way to feel a little less alone in the world, a way to 'see' his father in a sense, and he just couldn't piece together what would make her treat him like that after everything that's happened. He couldn't understand how she could go from hating his very existence to giving him a sense of comfort, and wondered if there was more that he had missed about the kind of person she really was.

Lucy leaned up and gently pressed her lips to Gajeel's, then ran her nose along the piercings in his before she settled herself back in his arms. "You should talk to Draco sometime," she whispered. "I talk to the stars all the time. It gives me a way to see my mom when I do…"

"What do you mean?" Gajeel asked, burying his nose in her hair and closing his eyes while he wrapped his arms more tightly around her.

"She died a few years ago," Lucy said sadly. "I got my first keys from her, and she taught me about the stars in the first place. So, any time I miss her I talk to them. It makes me feel like she's right there with them, keeping an eye on me."

"That's why you wanted to find someone that saw more than stars?" he asked softly.  _That's why she got so upset when I said that stuff in the rain,_  he thought with guilt coursing through him. He realized then that the only parent Lucy ever told him about was her mother. He didn't know if it meant that she only had good memories of her, or just that the now-deceased woman was the only parent Lucy had. No matter the reason, Gajeel fully understood why she had snapped—he would have done the same thing if anyone had started talking like that about Metallicana.

Lucy nodded, running her fingers over the piercings in his arms. "Makes things a little less lonely when there's someone out there that understands you… Even just a little bit."

After several silent minutes, Gajeel finally opened his eyes and looked back up at the sky, never moving too far from Lucy's scent. "How many constellations are there, Bunny?" Gajeel asked.

"Originally, eighty-eight. Some of them were split off by astronomers later on for one reason or another," Lucy said with a smile. "There are only eighty-eight keys though. Maybe a few more if any of those old legends are true."

"Legends?"

Lucy nodded and looked up to see Gajeel watching the sky intently, his eyes darting back and forth from Draco towards the sunrise. "Yeah, there are legends—stories, fairy tales, or whatever you want to call them— about more keys that are supposed to be stronger than the Zodiacs. They might all be different keys, or just different author's names for the same ones, but no one's ever confirmed their existence. There's Platinum, Diamond, Onyx… Pretty much any gemstone…"

"Well, if your keys are silver and gold, why would the others be made out of something other than metal?" Gajeel asked.

Lucy shrugged. "Who knows? If they're real, then maybe it's just to distinguish them from normal keys. There could be any number of reasons for the Celestial Spirit King to make them from a different material."

"King?" Gajeel asked, turning away from the sky to look at Lucy. "They have a king?"

Lucy grinned and nodded. "I don't know much about him aside from what I've read, but he's apparently the strongest spirit in existence and rules over the constellations and their spirits."

"Does he have a key?"

"Oh, no!" Lucy giggled and shook her head quickly. "That would be way too much power for a human to wield, even if they had enough magic to summon him in the first place. Besides, I'm sure he's a busy guy—what with being a king and all. He probably doesn't want to get called away from whatever it is he does just for some piddly little fight."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Gajeel said with a short nod, turning back to look at the sky again and resting his chin on her hair.

Once the sun had completely risen, with the stars disappearing for the day, Lucy sighed and shook her head. "Maybe next time," she whispered. She smiled softly when Gajeel's nose nestled in her hair and his lips lightly kissed her head. "So, we're heading back today?"

Gajeel sighed and nodded. "Yeah, we won't make it back to town before nightfall though. I've gotta give Master Jose a report on your training and the mission tomorrow when I go to the guild. Also, someone might think I just up and killed you if we don't come back soon."

"It's not much of a stretch, you know," Lucy shot back with a smirk, "You've tried a few times now."

"Well, you just won't fucking  _die_ ," Gajeel grumbled, then chuckled when Lucy elbowed him in the stomach again.

"So, are we going back to how things were before we left?" Lucy asked uncertainly, "At least, when we're around town?" She didn't want to just assume that she would be able to act however she wanted around Gajeel when they returned to the guild, especially since people liked knowing about any form of relationship with someone so it could be exploited. Ever since the day they'd fought in the rain, Gajeel and Lucy never spent much time  _not_  in physical contact with one another. He would nuzzle her, wrap his arms around her, kiss her anywhere and everywhere, and she would do the exact same thing. Even when they were arguing about something, it usually ended up in the most wonderfully angry fuckfest that left them both too exhausted to do much more than hurl half-hearted insults afterwards while they curled around each other. If it wasn't for how often she hit him with the intent of causing serious physical damage (or vice versa), or the vehemence of the insults they hurled at one another like weapons, Lucy knew people would think the pair was an actual couple based on how they acted otherwise; kissing, hugging, cuddling before bed, even how Gajeel nuzzled her just to smell her, it all screamed romance even though it was nothing more than them enjoying the feel of the other's body pressed against them.  _Physical contact,_  Lucy thought,  _It's not romantic at all. Not even watching the sunrise like this… He just knows I like to see the stars, and he likes to see them too._  She didn't even consider what they had said to each other that day—about her being 'his' Bunny and him 'her' dragon—since they never talked about it. Lucy remembered everything, and she could tell that Gajeel did as well, but they let it go, otherwise it could make things more complicated.

Gajeel scowled at the ground while he thought about what Lucy had asked. He knew what she was thinking, and the reaction of any shift in how they treated each other could end very badly if knowledge of it got into the wrong hands. "I don't know," he whispered.

Lucy sighed and shook her head, then said, "Well, you and I still fight like cats and dogs anyway, so that's not much of a change."

"And you're constantly threatening my dick with mutilation," Gajeel grumbled.

"Exactly!" Lucy said with a smirk. "So we just won't be able to touch each other in public… Fuck that sucks."

Gajeel shrugged and nestled his nose in the crook of her neck, closing his eyes and lightly nuzzling the tender flesh that he knew would make her laugh. Right on cue, the lilting laughter of the blonde in his arms came out, putting a smug smirk on his face. "You're probably right. We'll need to act like we used to."

"You know," Lucy said thoughtfully, "If you keep training me, then us being a little closer wouldn't seem so strange. Especially if people see it happening at the guild. I mean, how many times have we started a fist-fight in the middle of a workout?"

"Every day, Bunny," Gajeel chuckled. "You literally fight me every single fucking day because you can't shut your goddamn mouth for half a second."

"See? So, how's it any different if we keep that up?"

"Master ordered me to train you while we were out here, not at the guild," Gajeel said. "He probably doesn't want anyone else knowing about it."

"But, why?"

"Because the guild isn't really known for helping each other out," Gajeel said with a frown, "You know that."

"Fine, I'll just piss you off like I usually do, and then everyone will wonder why you and I disappeared for over a month and how I suddenly came back much stronger than before," Lucy retorted with a snort of derision. "Makes perfect fucking sense."

"Maybe we'll just fall back into the habit when we're actually there," Gajeel said with another shrug. He lifted his hand and turned her head to face him, then let his lips brush lightly over hers while he said, "We'll play it by ear, how about that?"

Lucy nodded with a smirk, whispering, "Sounds good to me," just before she moved to fully press her lips to his.

* * *

After finally making the last leg of their journey out of the mountains and through the forest by Oak Town, Lucy and Gajeel realized they would reach the town border just before midnight. As they got closer to town, when Gajeel was actually able to smell other people in their homes, the pair had exchanged one last kiss before stepping away to a safer distance. Gajeel's normal scowl was firmly in place and Lucy had summoned Plue so she would have someone to hold onto in the absence of a wonderfully strong arm wrapped around her. Surprisingly, Plue and Gajeel gave each other a short greeting—with the little spirit waving and Gajeel nodding in his direction—before they studiously ignored each other.

"Punn Puuun!"

Lucy smiled down at Plue and said, "No, I don't have any lollipops right now. Virgo has my bag."

"Punn?"

"Yeah, we'll be in town by midnight. You can help keep me company when Gajeel has to go home," Lucy answered.

"I still don't know how you can understand him," Gajeel muttered, glancing at the small spirit.

Plue looked over at the menacing Dragon Slayer and tilted his head to the side. "Pu… Punn…"

Lucy giggled and said, "He's saying your name, Gajeel. Listen closely."

"Pu… Punn…"

Gajeel frowned, straining to hear how those two little syllables could possibly sound like his name. Plue repeated it again and again, and Gajeel's eyes widened marginally when he actually picked up the faintest remnants of his name. "Holy shit, that's fucking weird."

Lucy laughed along with Plue. "It takes some getting used to, but now I can almost always understand what he's saying. He's pretty great at charades when I'm stumped though." Lucy looked down at Plue and said, "Show Gajeel a dragon, Plue."

Gajeel watched as the little 'dog' spirit jumped to the ground, and the pair of mages stopped to see him acting out what was supposed to be a dragon. Even though he was constantly shaking, Plue's arms stretched out to the sides to mimic wings, his little eyebrows drew together, and he stomped around while his mouth opened wide in what was supposed to be a roar. "That's a pretty good dragon," Gajeel chuckled. "Kinda reminds me of Metallicana."

Lucy giggled and picked Plue back up while they started walking. "How so?"

"He used to stomp around like that when I pissed him off—usually trying to squish me under his foot, the bastard," Gajeel said with a smirk. "Only thing that was missing was some sharp teeth."

Once they reached the town's border, Lucy paused to look up at Gajeel. "I'll see you at the guild tomorrow?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah," Gajeel answered, scanning the streets and trying to pick out any scents from another person that was outside in the area. "Where's your place, Bunny?"

"A couple blocks from the guild, why?"

Gajeel nodded, crossing his arms over his chest and scanning the area again. When he heard the jingling of Lucy's keys, he turned to see her pulling out a golden key and placed his hand over her arm. "Come with me," he said gruffly.

Lucy frowned at Gajeel as he started dragging her through town, but instead of complaining like she wanted, Lucy allowed herself to fully enjoy the small bit of contact and stayed silent. Turn after turn led them into the worst part of town, and Lucy knew that if she didn't have Gajeel with her she would have been more than apprehensive. Broken bottles littered the ground, small cardboard boxes were lined in alleys with blankets covering them, and the rancid aroma of burning trash filled her nostrils. Lucy grimaced and glanced up at Gajeel to see his face completely hardened while he tried to ignore all of the smells around them. After what seemed like a lifetime of wading through the thin layer of refuse on the ground, Lucy saw an apartment building before them.

"Figured we could have another night," Gajeel whispered as he pulled open the creaky door and led her into the hallway.

"Where are we?" Lucy asked once they'd rounded the third flight of stairs and walked down another hall.

"My place. Closer than yours, and further from the guild," Gajeel answered with a smirk. He watched Lucy blush and opened the door that he never bothered to lock—since no one was ever stupid enough to try and break into his place—then led her inside.

Lucy hadn't known what she was expecting when it came to where Gajeel lived, but it was obvious that the Iron Dragon Slayer lived here. It was a simple studio apartment with the only real piece of furniture being a large bed with a black and grey bedspread. There as a simple nightstand next to it, an open closet, and two iron barstools that sat next to the breakfast bar that separated the rest of the place from the kitchen. One corner had a huge pile of scrapmetal, which made her eyes widen when she saw how sharp some of those pieces were, and there was a single door off to the right that she assumed was a bathroom. His apartment was clean, not obsessively so but enough to know that he actually cleaned the place, and though there weren't any decorations of any sort Lucy knew that it was just like Gajeel to keep only the bare necessities.

Gajeel knew Lucy would end up looking around, not that there was much to look at, so he went to the refrigerator and grabbed a couple of beers. They had already eaten dinner that Virgo had made so they wouldn't have to stop, and he didn't have any food in his house since he was hardly ever there in the first place. He walked into the common area and saw Lucy sprawled out on the bed and looking at him, with her boots carefully placed at the foot of the bed and both of their bags placed next to them. With a smirk, Gajeel bit the cap of her beer off, and handed her the bottle while he chewed on the small piece of metal.

Lucy giggled and sat up, making room for Gajeel on the bed, and said, "Well, that's one way to open a beer."

Gajeel winked while he opened his own beer and took a swig, then kicked off his boots and sat down on the bed. "Waste not, and all that," he said.

"So, why did you drag me all the way to your house?" Lucy asked, taking another large gulp of her drink.

"Wanted another night with you," Gajeel answered before tipping the bottle back and finishing it off.

"Aww," Lucy cooed while she finished off her own bottle, "Were you gonna miss me?"

"Watch it, Bunny Girl," Gajeel warned, taking their empty bottles and throwing them away before he came back to sit on the bed. "I don't know how things are gonna go, and I felt like getting one more good night's rest."

Lucy smirked and slid closer to him, then nudged his arm with hers. "Because you like to smell me, you big ol' creeper."

"Yep. And waking up with your tits all over me," Gajeel retorted, raising and lowering his eyebrows with a lecherous grin.

"Well, how about a shower first?" she asked as she slid off the bed, squealing when Gajeel made a grab for her and running over to the bathroom door. Lucy jumped when his arms wrapped around her waist and she was pulled into his chest, but she instantly melted against him when his lips brushed against her ear.

"You sure you want a shower?" he growled, reveling in the shiver than ran through her. "We could skip it and just get to the fun part."

Lucy slowly turned and looked up at the lusty red eyes above her. "Or you can show me what it's like to fuck you in a shower. Two birds, one stone."

"You know, I like the way you think," Gajeel said with a devious grin. He quickly lifted Lucy into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist, and walked into the bathroom.

* * *

Gajeel creaked one eye open when he didn't feel a warm body lying next to him. Lucy's scent still surrounded him and the bed, and he could tell that she was still in his apartment, but he couldn't seem to see her. He stretched, feeling his muscles about to snap with tension, then relaxed and sighed contentedly while he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, they practically bugged out of his head when he saw her sitting on one of his bar stools while two of her spirits were in his apartment. Virgo was in the kitchen, apparently getting ready to make them breakfast using his hardly-used appliances. What caught Gajeel completely by surprise was the man wearing a blue shirt, jeans, and sunglasses… with crab legs sticking out of his back. The crab spirit was wielding two pairs of scissors, dipping at Lucy's head with lightning speed while the faintest snipping sound could be heard.

"All done, baby," Cancer said with a proud grin as he handed Lucy a mirror.

"Aww, Cancer!" Lucy said softly, unaware of Gajeel's fully conscious form staring at her from the bed, "Thanks, it's perfect."

"Call me any time, baby," Cancer said while Lucy jumped up and hugged him, then disappeared.

Once Cancer was gone, Gajeel was able to really see Lucy. She was wearing a black long-sleeve turtleneck that was still a crop top— _Because_ _ **that**_ _makes sense,_  he thought sarcastically—and a royal blue mini-skirt. His eyes raked over her body, taking extra time to drink in the sight of her hips barely poking out of the skirt and her tiny waist and deciding that those were his favorite parts of her to ogle, and when he looked up at her blushing face he saw that her hair was noticeably longer than the day before by a couple inches and pulled into pigtails with her bangs framing her face.

"Morning, Gajeel," Lucy said with a smirk once his eyes finally landed on hers. She slowly strutted over to the bed, giggling when his gaze immediately dropped to her hips to watch them sway, then knelt down next to him. "We didn't wake you, did we?"

Gajeel rolled his eyes and said, "Nah, your body not rubbing all over me is what woke me up. And then a huge crab standing in the middle of the room kinda threw me for a loop."

Lucy lightly smacked Gajeel's bare stomach and pouted, "Cancer is not a 'giant crab'."

"One look at his back tells me different, Bunny Girl," Gajeel shot back, grabbing her hand and pulling her down on top of his chest. "Wanna explain the crazy shirt?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow and said, "I couldn't cover the bite marks you left me with makeup, and it's cold enough for me to have a long-sleeve shirt."

"And how is it gonna keep you warm?" Gajeel asked while his hands glided over her bare back. "Seems like something's missing."

Lucy giggled and said, "Well, maybe I just want to show off my guild mark." When Gajeel looked at her pointedly, she shrugged. "Now, tell me good morning properly."

Gajeel glared at her when she turned her head and pointed to her cheek. "You're way too fucking chipper in the morning," he grumbled.

Lucy pouted and turned to glare at him. "I am n—"

Gajeel smirked when he cupped her neck and brought his lips to hers and she sighed happily. "Morning, Bunny," Gajeel whispered when he pulled back to see Lucy smiling lazily at him.

"Princess, breakfast is ready," Virgo said with a bow as she stood next to the bed. She stifled her laughter when Lucy squeaked and jumped, then fell off of the bed with a loud thump. "My apologies for startling you, Princess. Punishment?"

Lucy's head popped up from the opposite side of the bed, looking from Gajeel's smirking face to the blank expression on Virgo's. "No, no punishment," she said with a blush at having forgotten that her spirit was still in the apartment. "Thank you, Virgo."

Virgo bowed one more time, then disappeared, leaving the two mages in an awkward silence while silently hoping that they would figure out just how much their relationship really meant to the other. She wasn't blind, she had seen how they had interacted almost from the time they had met. Even though Lucy had one of the kindest hearts Virgo had ever seen in her long existence, the young blonde seemed to have a penchant for aggravating the Slayer as much as possible. Virgo couldn't understand how Lucy was able to survive in the darker atmosphere of her guild, even taking lives without a second thought, while still maintaining that beautiful light within herself. It was almost a paradox—how could she be so pure and still commit such horrible acts? Regardless of her own questions on that matter, Virgo saw the way they looked at each other as though they were the only ones in the world. She had watched with amusement when the pair had returned to the cave after that storm, since Lucy had called her back out to get their bags, and she couldn't believe just how open they were being. The Iron Slayer was smiling and holding onto Lucy like she might disappear, marking her with his scent over and over just as animals do in the wild. Lucy herself was allowing him to see the brighter side of her personality, the one that she kept hidden from the guild because someone might try and take advantage of her for it. Being able to sense the emotions of her Princess definitely came in handy when watching those two: Lucy was genuinely happy with Gajeel around, no matter how often they argued or came to blows with one another.

"Come on," Lucy said as she stood up and smoothed her skirt down, "Get that shiny metal ass out of bed and eat some breakfast."

"I don't have a shiny metal a—"

"Gajeel," Lucy said seriously, "I've seen you naked too many times to count. If you don't believe me, then go look in the mirror with you're scales on… Then you tell me if your ass is both shiny and metallic."

Gajeel stared wide-eyed at her, watching as she bit her lips in the attempt at keeping her laughter to herself. "You're joking," he said with a glare.

Lucy shook her head and threw a hand over her mouth. "Mm-mm!" she mumbled before losing her battle with her laughter. "I could almost see my reflection!" she choked out between giggles.

"Bunny Girl, if you don't cut that shit out I'm gonna kill you," Gajeel muttered with a hand over his face.

* * *

Jose was sitting at his desk while he waited for Gajeel and Lucy to return to the guild. He'd spoken with the Slayer the day before, so he knew they would be back today. It was just a matter of waiting for them to show up and see for himself whether or not Gajeel had been successful in gaining her trust. They would need her to trust at least one person in the guild, and for her loyalties to lie completely with both Gajeel and the guild itself, for his plan to work. One look at the time told Jose that it was nearing the time Gajeel usually showed up, and he didn't expect to see Lucy for at least another hour afterwards. It would give him plenty of time to speak with Gajeel concerning the next phase of his plan, and to try and glean any other information concerning the last few weeks of their training, before he watched how Lucy acted in the guild around Gajeel.

With a sigh, Jose stood up and made his way out to the second floor balcony. He looked around at the few tables that were upstairs and saw that three of the four other S-Class members were sitting at a single table in complete silence. He gave them a quick nod and they each stood up and made their way out of the guild to start the preparations for the next phase. Jose looked down at the first floor and saw that neither of the mages he was searching for had arrived yet, and sneered when he saw just how rowdy some of the other members were getting in the midst of a far-too-early drunken stupor. Nearly half of his guild was out on missions, and of the other half almost two-thirds had just returned from missions of their own.  _They can have today,_  he told himself,  _But they will need to get back to work tomorrow._

When the doors opened, Jose raised an amused eyebrow when he saw Lucy walking inside with the same blank face she always had when she was at the guild. She went right up to the bar, to the same stool that she always sat at, and ordered her usual strawberry smoothie from Tom. There was at least one open seat on either side of her, with a few other members that were actually brave or stupid enough to be anywhere near the feisty little blonde, sitting in near silence at the bar once she sat down. A soft chuckle sounded from Jose when he remembered the first time a guild member had tried to stop Lucy from sitting in her seat by saying he'd been there first. She had dragged him off of the stool and then beat him half to death with it, breaking the thing in the process. Once she'd been satisfied that he wouldn't make the same mistake, Lucy grabbed another stool and moved it to the vacant spot and sat down. She had even forced Tom to find out how much it would cost to replace the stool she had broken, then gave the money directly to Jose with an explanation that she wouldn't feel right if he was forced to pay for something she destroyed.

Jose was surprised when Gajeel entered the guild less than a minute after Lucy had, but even he seemed to be his usual anti-social self. Instead of sitting down at his table that was constantly covered in metal—because there really was no other way to keep the Slayer from slaughtering people if he didn't have something to eat to distract himself and keep others away—Gajeel looked up at the balcony and nodded before making a bee-line to the stairs. Jose turned and walked silently down the hall to his office with Gajeel right behind him. He made his way back to his desk and sat down, lacing his fingers together and watching the stoic Dragon Slayer stand in his usual spot with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "So, how was your time away?" Jose asked with a grin.

"Fucking horrible," Gajeel said with a sneer.

"I find that hard to believe," Jose said, raising an eyebrow and motioning for Gajeel to take a seat. This was going to be a long conversation, he just knew it.

Gajeel silently sat down in the single armchair in front of Master Jose's desk, and stayed silent.

"Did you complete your tasks?"

Gajeel nodded. "Mission's done. She's trained. She trusts me."

"How have the last two weeks of her training gone?"

"She's learned offense and defense with and without weapons. She's better at countering attacks than initiating them herself. She can summon two golds and a silver and keep them out for over an hour if they don't use any magic. If they do, she can only hold two golds for thirty minutes before she has to send them back—otherwise she passes out." Gajeel paused and thought over what else he needed to tell Master Jose about Lucy's training. "She's shit when she can't see anything, doesn't focus enough on her other senses to compensate. We didn't have many opportunities for her to hone that though, and it takes a lot of time. Out of everything, the only thing I didn't have to teach her was tactics. That's apparently second-nature to her, and she uses it to her advantage to catch her enemy off-guard in a confrontation."

"How so?" Jose asked, an intrigued smile playing across his lips.

"She was bitching about something during training," Gajeel answered with a sneer, "Ranting on and on. Wouldn't shut the fuck up. So, when I went to attack her she caught me with her whip and cancelled out my roar, then knocked me to the ground and kicked me in the head. I almost ripped her throat out afterwards."

Jose knew that Gajeel was extremely skilled at hiding his emotions, even though they were usually only negative ones, but there was still something that he could tell the Slayer was hiding from him. "Do you trust her, Gajeel?"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow and said, "I don't trust anyone. You didn't order me to trust her." Gajeel had to suppress his growl of agitation at the line of questioning coming from the guild master. He was loyal to his guild, and would do whatever he was ordered to by Jose, but that didn't mean that the man needed to know about the shift in his and Lucy's relationship—even if it was just a physical release of tension like the one they had—or that she had actually gained his trust.

"How can you be sure she trusts you, Gajeel? It's crucial that she has someone in the guild that ties her to us," Jose said firmly. He had seen Gajeel's eyes widen slightly at his last question, and knew he'd hit a nerve.  _He trusts her as well,_  he thought.

"Like I told you, my nose doesn't lie."

"I wasn't aware you could smell trust," Jose said.

"Not trust," Gajeel answered. "More like emotions that involve trust." He really didn't like the way this conversation was going. There had to be some way out of it that he wasn't seeing, but whatever it was needed to surface quickly before Jose wheedled any information out of him that he didn't want to be known.

"What emotions, Gajeel?"

"Not sure," Gajeel answered. "I just know that they mean she trusts me."

 _He's lying._  Jose raised an eyebrow at the Slayer, then sighed and nodded. "Very well. I'll have a mission for you in a couple of weeks, so don't go disappearing for too long." He watched with well-hidden amusement as Gajeel's eyebrow rose in question, then Jose merely dismissed him with a wave of his hand. It was going to take time for the Element Four to finish their preparations, and Jose was curious to see what would happen with Lucy and Gajeel in the guild now that they were back. There was something different about them; that much he could tell based on the small facial slips Gajeel had made. Maybe Jose just needed to have a talk with Lucy herself and see what else he could find. "Oh, Gajeel," Jose called out as the Slayer reached the door, "Send Lucy up here. I'd like to speak with her."

Gajeel nodded and made his way out of the office.  _Shit,_  he thought,  _He knows something._  Gajeel stopped at the balcony and looked down at the bar to see Lucy was already gone. He frowned for a minute, wondering when she had left since he hadn't been in Master Jose's office for too long, then honed in on her scent and found that it was leading outside to the training grounds. Not willing to keep the Master waiting, Gajeel walked down the stairs and immediately went outside to see Lucy had summoned Taurus and was working on her combination attacks with the bull spirit. She seemed to notice Gajeel was there right away, but she continued working as if she was clueless to his presence causing a small smirk to crawl onto his face.

After ten more minutes, Lucy was feeling a little overworked and decided to dismiss Taurus and get a drink of water. She walked over to the bleachers to see Gajeel sitting down and waiting for her to come over to him. "Yes?" she asked coldly, doing everything in her power to maintain the distance they'd had before their mission.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Master wants to talk to you," he said. "Pretty sure he knows something's up, but do what you can to keep it to yourself."

Lucy rolled her eyes and huffed. "I'm not an idiot, Gajeel. It was almost guaranteed that he would figure it out. He's the guild master for a reason."

"What makes you say that?"

"You don't gain the kind of power he has by not being able to read people. Also,  _you_  aren't the best at hiding when something gets on your nerves," Lucy said while they started walking back inside. Just before they reached the door that led back to the guild, Lucy placed a hand on Gajeel's arm and looked up at him. "Look, I'll do what I can to keep him from suspecting anything."

Gajeel's eyebrows drew together as he looked at her and then he felt a small piece of paper being slid into his hand. His curiosity was piqued, so Gajeel opened it up and saw an address written in some seriously stylistic handwriting. "The fuck is this?" he asked.

Lucy sighed and shook her head. "My address, you stupid cheese-grater," she said in exasperation. "Come by whenever you feel like… venting." She winked at Gajeel's dumbfounded expression, her fingers dancing along his abs, then turned and walked inside.

Gajeel looked down at the paper again, reading over the short address over and over until it was memorized, then he tore the little thing to shreds and crammed it in his pocket to deal with later on. Running a hand through his hair, Gajeel growled and decided that he needed to work off some of his own frustration, so he turned back to the training grounds and got to work on slaughtering training dummies.

Lucy was standing in front of Master Jose's door. She swallowed down her nerves and forced herself back into a more subdued version of the heiress she was raised to be, then knocked. "It's Lucy, Master," she said to the questioning voice on the other side of the door, "I was told you wanted to speak with me."

"Come in."

Lucy opened the door and peeked around it with a sweet smile, then made her way in and silently shut it behind her. She walked across the office to stand in front of Master Jose's desk, then waited for him to address her.

"You can sit down, Lucy," Jose said while he watched her standing in front of him as if she hadn't a care in the world. She always greeted him the same way—a sweet smile when she saw him, an exchange of normal pleasantries, and then she would wait in complete silence until he told her what he wanted—and that day was no different. Lucy bowed slightly and took her seat, but she still didn't say a word. "How was your time away with Gajeel?" Jose asked.

"Do you want the truth?" Lucy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course," Jose said with a smile.

"Gajeel's a huge fucking dildo and I hope someone finds a way to lure him into a smelting furnace so he can die a slow and painful death," Lucy said with a sadistic grin. She watched Jose show a small bit of surprise for half a second before he masked it, then added, "However, your intention for him to train me was successful. I can't stand him in the slightest, and he was a real asshole when it came time to teach me, but I learned a lot."

"So, you two don't get along still?"

Lucy laughed humorlessly and shook her head. "No. We got into a fist-fight every day during workouts and pretty much anything else because I apparently 'can't shut my goddamn mouth for half a second'."

"And how was it working with him during the mission?" Jose asked.

"He was a dick when we were meeting with the client. The guy said I shouldn't be there because I was a woman, so Gajeel agreed to let him kick me out of the room. I was still able to hear everything that was being said, so I didn't miss any crucial information," Lucy said with a sneer. "During the mission itself—fighting the barghests and afterwards—Gajeel was just like any partner should be. We focused on the job, killed the targets, and got our reward."

"I was informed you were injured," Jose said softly, leaning forward and looking at Lucy with feigned concern.

Lucy sighed and nodded, then said, "Yeah, two snuck up on us. Gajeel took the first one, and I took the second. It bit my arm, but I called out Virgo and we were able to take it down without an issue. She had to stitch me up afterwards, but it wasn't a big deal."

"You know, our guild doesn't buy into that Fairy Tail ideal of loving one another as family," Jose said with a sour look on his face that softened as he continued, "But, it does help to have at least one person you trust."

"I know, Master," Lucy said softly, lowering her head in shame. "It's just hard to trust people when they could just use me for their own personal gain."

"Well, what about him?" Jose asked, leaning back in his chair. "You two spent quite a bit of time together, how much do you trust Gajeel?"

"About as far as I can throw him," Lucy ground out.  _Why is he asking me all of this stuff?_  She sighed and looked up at Jose when he chuckled, then let a small smile out. "I trust him enough to sleep within ten feet of him while we're in the woods. Then again, that was more for my own safety against anything out there, since he scares everything off."

Jose laughed and nodded. "Yes, I can see how that would be a smart move. But what about otherwise?"

"Master, he's a pompous, egotistical, arrogant sack of shit. I'd rather shove six dozen rusty knives up my ass than have to deal with his grating voice constantly nagging about me being a whiny bitch," Lucy said. "Working with someone for an extended period of time will form some sort of trust, especially during a mission. So, yes. I trust him to a point. Do I think he's some knight in shining armor that will whisk me off to a safe place every time I'm in some shit? No, he'd be on the sidelines laughing his ass off and calling me a pussy. I know you ordered him not to kill me or let me get killed, so that's the only reason that I'm not already dead. I don't trust him with my life, but I know for the sake of the guild's reputation that he'd help if he had to."

"So, what are you trying to say, Lucy?"

Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes, then said, "I'm trying to say that I trust Gajeel to finish the job he's been assigned, just like any other member of the guild. He and I hate one each other, so there's only so much that being stuck together can do."

Jose looked at her for a long moment. He hadn't seen any form of deceit from her in the slightest, not even that she was hiding something from him with her answers. They had seemed a little vague at first, but every time she spoke it only seemed to further iterate what she was trying to tell him—she and Gajeel couldn't stand one another. "Very well, Lucy," he said softly. "I have a mission for you."

"Of course," Lucy said with a smile.

"I need you to do some reconnaissance for us," Jose said with a devious grin. "Gajeel says your tactics come naturally to you. I need you to pay a visit to Magnolia and scout the Fairy Tail guild hall. See if you can find any weaknesses. Don't let them see your guild mark in the event you're caught, otherwise they'll probably torture you to try and get information out of you about our guild."

"Do you want only the weaknesses of the building or the members themselves?" Lucy asked.

"I'd rather you didn't interact with them directly if you can avoid it. Just scout the area, make note of their movements and when they close and open. Things like that. If you find any weak links, make note of them and bring the information back here. You have one week from the time you reach Magnolia, and I expect to see you back here."

"I understand, Master," Lucy said with a grin that rivalled his. "I'll do my best." She stood up when he nodded and dismissed her, then made her way out into the main guild hall. The distinct crunching of metal could be heard just as she opened the door from his office, so once Lucy was at the balcony, her eyes met with Gajeel's for a brief second then she started walking down the stairs. Without looking back, Lucy said just loud enough for him to hear her, "Meet me at my place tonight at eight. I'll explain later." Lucy didn't wait to see if he acknowledged her and agreed to it, since she didn't want to draw attention to herself of Gajeel, and walked out the door to head to her own home to pack for her newest mission.

 


	6. Arc 1: Her House

Lucy unpacked her bag and then quickly re-packed it. She considered packing her usual clothes, but decided that she needed to make sure her guild mark was hidden and that she could stay inconspicuous. Most of her clothing was a little extreme or scandalous, but Lucy was still able to find several regular shirts that would do the job. Once she had packed all the necessary items she would need, Lucy figured she would also call Virgo or Cancer to give her some makeup that could cover her guild mark in the event that her shirt was torn or heaven forbid missing. Once she found a safe place to observe the guild hall from, Lucy would summon Crux and see if he could give her any information on it—it was a long shot, but she was willing to make the attempt. Once everything was set, with her bag packed and sitting by the door with her boots and a jacket, Lucy decided she might as well try and get some form of writing done. She had spent over a month away from her home, and was glad that she'd maintained the practice of being two months ahead in rent when she returned only to remember that she'd forgotten to tell her landlord she would be gone for a while. She pulled out an envelope and quickly addressed it to the older man, then wrote her name and apartment number along with the reason for her payment (even though he knew why she was giving him money, she liked to help him with keeping his books in order just in case he needed it) on a piece of paper. She put her rent money and the note inside of the envelope, sealed it, then took it down to the first floor and slid it into his mail slot.

Once Lucy was back inside, she looked at the time and realized it was already three in the afternoon. That would give her a few hours to write before she needed to go to the store and pick up enough food for dinner that night, breakfast the next day, and a few snacks for her trip to Magnolia.  _Maybe I should go to the store first,_ she thought. She had a habit of losing track of time while she was writing, and really didn't want to have to starve because it was too late to get anything when she finally pulled away from her depressing attempt at a novel. With a sigh, Lucy put her boots back on and walked out of her apartment, double-checking to make sure she had her keys, then made her way to the store just around the corner.

An hour later, Lucy arrived back home with her groceries and made quick work of putting everything away and setting the meat she had bought to marinate. Finally, Lucy stretched and sat down at her desk, hoping to find the inspiration she needed to turn her novel around. She read through the previous pages she'd written and realized that not only had her romance novel become a tragedy, it was a train wreck with no plot whatsoever and completely flat characters. "Ugh!" Lucy groaned, throwing the papers in the air and watching them slowly float down onto the floor. "This is just sad."

She stood up, pacing back and forth and walking over the papers strewn across the floor while she tried to come up with some way to save her work. Back and forth. Back and forth. Over and over in her living room. Her heroine was missing something important, but she couldn't place what it was. Originally, she was supposed to leave her kingdom on a quest to save her people from a curse—not the most original plot, but it was supposed to be a writing exercise to start Lucy off on the right track—and would meet both a hero and anti-hero along the way and form a small group with them as they continued on her journey. There was no romance, and that was what Lucy had wanted to write. They spoke with one another, had deep and meaningful conversations, but they were all just there. The journey itself didn't have any form of adversity. There was no drama, and maybe that was the problem. "I haven't given them anything as a driving force to keep going!" Lucy shouted her epiphany. She scrambled around on the floor, wildly sweeping the pages together into a messy pile. When she tapped a small portion of the papers on the floor to organize them, she hissed in pain when one sheet caught the juncture between her thumb and forefinger in a minor papercut.

Rolling her eyes, Lucy dropped them and walked into the bathroom, then started running water over her hand. She looked at herself in the mirror, saw that she was still wearing a turtleneck that covered the two bites Gajeel had left on her that day in the rain—along with several dark hickeys and a few scrapes from his teeth the night before—and wiped her hands off before removing her shirt. Lucy raised a hand to her neck, lightly tracing the bite wound and smiling at the memory of just how amazing it had felt to have him do it. She brought her other hand up and repeated the action on the opposite side where the bite was closer to her shoulder. They had already scabbed up, each nearly the exact same shape and size, but she could tell that he'd bitten her harder the second time with how much larger the punctures were. Instead of a normal bite mark like the one she'd left on him, she was finally noticing just how different Gajeel's teeth were. They were definitely sharper than her own, and she knew his jaw was much stronger since he ate through metal like it was nothing, but Lucy had never realized that they were actually perfectly straight or how each tooth ended in a small point with slightly elongated canines. The proof was literally written in her flesh, with an already faded bruise around the healing skin.

Lucy continued on her perusal of the marks left in Gajeel's wake from their time together, heat slowly washing through her and bringing a blush to her cheeks as she recalled just when each one had happened. How his teeth had scraped against her chest while he was plunging into her with a growl, the euphoric aftermath from those two bites that had been intensified for her since she had more than one, each dark oval on her chest and shoulders from when he had to remember not to bite her again and settled for suckling her flesh. While she looked at herself, thinking of how few times a man had actually left some sort of mark on her during sex, Lucy realized that what was happening with Gajeel was nearly always primal and animalistic. Something about him made her lose her mind completely, turning into a wild sex fiend that begged for more even after their lust was sated. She had always wanted to find someone that could bring out her wilder side, and had one to match it, but she never thought it would have been Gajeel of all people. "That's what they need," she said softly, "Wild and untamed. To lose themselves so completely that they're forced to rediscover who they are."

With a wide grin, Lucy went to her desk, forgetting that she wasn't wearing a shirt any longer and that she hadn't picked up the rest of the papers from the floor, and sat down with a fresh sheet of paper. She had found her muse, and it just so happened to be her own inner vixen that was making her presence known. After what only felt like a few minutes, Lucy looked up at the clock and saw that it was almost seven-thirty. Gajeel was supposed to be there at eight (or sometime around then) and she still hadn't started cooking. With a small gasp, she put away her writing materials, and when she stood up smacked herself in the forehead once she saw the other papers still strewn across the floor. She pulled them all into a pile, then  _carefully_  tapped them so they were organized and set them all down on her desk. She got right to work on slow-cooking the meat she'd been marinating, thankful that she'd had the foresight to at least do that, and after a few minutes put the rice on to cook.

Just as Lucy was pulling two plates down from her cabinet, with only a minute or so before the food was ready, there was a knock at her door. "Who is it?" she called out from the kitchen, laughing when she heard the distinctive annoyed growl that only came from one man. "Come on in, Gajeel!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes and opened the door, stopping dead in his tracks when the scent of delicious food he'd picked up from the street came washing over him. Steak, steamed vegetables smothered in butter and herbs, and white rice.  _Holy shit that smells good._  Finally shaking himself from his stupor, Gajeel closed the door and kicked his boots off at the door next to Lucy's, then took a quick glance at her apartment as he made his way to where the smell of food was the strongest. Her apartment was a lot like his own even down to the lack of decorations on the walls: she had only what she needed. It was a simple studio apartment with dark blue walls, a writing desk in one corner with a completely filled bookshelf next to it, a bed along one wall with a nightstand and a dresser, and a simple dining set in the center of the room. There was an archway on the left that led to the kitchen, and two doors on the right by the desk that had to be a bathroom and closet. What Gajeel found interesting was that the color of her bedspread was a deep ruby color, almost the same color as her guild mark. "You know you didn't have to cook, Bunny," Gajeel said as he rounded the corner to walk into the kitchen.

"Well, I haven't eaten dinner yet, and you can eat everything under the sun," Lucy shot back with a smirk, her back turned to Gajeel while she stirred the rice on the stove.

"Do you always cook shirtless?" Gajeel asked, grinning when she visibly stiffened and looked down at herself. He stifled a laugh when she shrugged and went back to work, dishing up two plates and handing him the one that had three times the portion size of her own on it.

"Go on, I'll be out in a minute," Lucy giggled, waving him away while she turned off the stove. She rolled her eyes when she heard him making his way back to the dining table, quietly chuckling and talking about her being insane. Once he was out of the archway, Lucy turned around and grabbed two beers from the refrigerator along with silverware for both of them, then walked out to see Gajeel already sitting at the table with a fork and waiting for her. "Where'd you get a fork from?" she asked with a light laugh as she set everything down, passing him both beers so he could open them and eat the bottle caps.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her and said, "I'm pretty sure you don't want me eating your cutlery—I have a habit of doing that, you know."

"So, you made a fork?"

"Yeah, I can't eat my own iron," Gajeel answered. His eyes had been trained on her hips while she stood by the table, and they stayed there when she set everything down and walked past him towards her closet to grab a shirt. "No need to get dressed up for me, Bunny Girl."

"Hilarious," Lucy sighed, "I'm putting a shirt on so you can focus on eating, asshole." She quickly pulled on a tank top that ended just under her belly button, then walked back over to the table and sat down.

Gajeel's eyes roved up her body while she sat down, and stopped dead when he saw her chest and neck. He'd never really paid attention to how often he bit or sucked on her while they were having sex, and afterwards he never took notice of it because she was usually partially covered. This time, after seeing her in that shirt in the morning that hid the marks he'd left on her, every single one on Lucy seemed to pop out more insistently as if they had little neon signs that screamed 'look at me!' The wilder part of him was purring in delight to see that she wasn't ashamed of what he did, but the sane part of him—the human side—actually felt bad about it. "Shit, Bunny…" he muttered frowning when he looked from the hickeys to the scratches and landed on the bites again and again, "Didn't realize I got that crazy…"

Lucy tilted her head to the side and pushed her eyebrows together in confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asked, not realizing what had caught his attention.

"You look like you've been mauled," Gajeel said with a scowl.

Lucy looked down at her chest, bringing a hand up to run across the marks he'd left, then smiled at Gajeel. "It's alright, Gajeel. Really, I don't mind."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her when she instantly dismissed it and started eating. "You're kidding, right?"

Lucy giggled and shook her head while she was chewing. Once she swallowed the bite of food, she said, "No, it's actually some pretty good inspiration for my story. Now, eat."

Gajeel felt like he was in some crazy parallel universe right then. Lucy was smiling like it wasn't a big deal, when in his own experience any woman that had half that many marks on her would have been screaming her head off at him for doing it.

When Lucy saw Gajeel sitting completely still and staring at her neck, she sighed and stood up to walk over to him. She smiled at him when he finally looked up into her eyes, then leaned down to capture his lips in a soft kiss. "It's fine," she whispered between kisses while one hand reached out to grab the fork he'd made and stabbed a strip of steak. She pulled back and pushed his chin down so his mouth was open, then put the food in his mouth and giggled when he glared at her. "Eat, Gajeel. We can talk about it later if it's really that big of a deal."

"You're lucky you're a good fucking cook," Gajeel grumbled, pulling the fork out of his mouth and trying to hold in his reaction to just how wonderful her cooking was. The pair ate in silence, with Lucy mentioning that there was still one more 'dragon-sized' serving left if he was still hungry. When he'd given her a questioning glance, she had simply laughed and said that he eats a lot, so she made extra. It was strange to not only have a chick he was just fucking decide she was going to cook for him, but that she was going to make way too much food knowing just how much he could actually take in. The part of his brain that was keeping a tight leash on whether or not he needed to bail from what he had with Lucy was reeling at the seemingly domestic action, screaming out that this was practically a date that she had tricked him into. He felt like a total loon, having an inner debate with himself about whether or not she was trying to get more than just a physical relationship out of him, and eventually decided that he would figure out if he needed to end it once he was actually sure of any ulterior motive; for the time being, he was just going to sit back and enjoy eating a delicious meal with a hot blonde. Finally, when all of the food was gone and the dishes were being soaked in the sink, Gajeel and Lucy were sitting on her bed with a deck of cards between them. "Alright, Bunny," Gajeel said while he dealt out another hand for Rummy, "What did you want me to come by for?"

"Master's sending me on a mission for the guild tomorrow," Lucy said with a sigh. "I'll be gone for the next week."

"What's the mission? Wait, did he say you needed to keep it a secret?" Gajeel asked cautiously.

Lucy frowned and thought over what Master Jose had said. "No, he didn't say anything about keeping it from anyone. Then again, he might not think that I've really got anyone to tell since I've got him convinced that I only trust you enough to know that you'll do the job you're assigned and not murder me in my sleep."

Gajeel chuckled and shook his head, throwing down a solid run and discarding before he said, "Well, what's the mission?"

"Recon," Lucy answered, frowning when she didn't have any matches. "Scouting, finding weak points in the infrastructure, weak links in the people around. That sort of thing."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed and he asked, "Where?"

"Magnolia."

"He's having you scout out Fairy Tail, isn't he?"

Lucy nodded, not noticing the hard glint in Gajeel's gaze. "Yeah. He says I've got one week to finish it from the time I get to Magnolia, and that I have to keep my guild mark hidden. He wants to know about when they open and close, their movements, weak links. Like I said, simple recon."

"Did he say to stay away from them?" Gajeel asked.

"Master said to avoid interacting with them directly, why?"

"Take him seriously on it, Bunny," Gajeel said softly while he laid out a pair then discarded again. "They're our enemies, so don't get yourself caught. Stay as far out of sight as possible. If you even suspect they're onto you, get the hell out of there. They've got this idea that they're a family or some bullshit like that, and they're crazy. There's no telling what they'll do if you get caught spying on them."

"Master said they'll probably torture me to get information about the guild," Lucy mumbled, looking worriedly at Gajeel. "This sounds more like a mission for you. You'd be able to smell them coming from a mile away, and you could hear what they were saying from nearly as far. So, why would he send me instead?"

"It's a test, Bunny," Gajeel answered. "He had me training you to make you stronger, and you're definitely better off now than a month ago. He wants to test your abilities. If you come back without getting caught, and give him solid information? You'll pass. If you get caught and can talk your way out of it, then come back safely with solid information? You'll still probably pass his test, but he won't be happy. Anything less than that and I don't know what he'll do to you."

"Well, that makes me feel better about it," Lucy grumbled sarcastically, dropping her cards lamely on the bed with a sigh.

"What's the reason he gave for picking you for the mission?" Gajeel asked softly.

"He told me that you said I was a natural at tactics," Lucy said with a frown as she thought over all of the implications of what could happen if she was caught.

"You are, Bunny," Gajeel said with a smirk, picking all of the cards up and putting them back in the little cardboard box. "It means he wants you to use your head. Don't go in blind, use what I taught you, keep a low profile, and stay out of sight. Since it's recon, you'll need to use every sense to make sure you don't get caught; that's still something you need to work on, so at least try to remember. Just do what comes naturally when you're looking for information, and you'll be fine… Unless you start yelling at people… Then, I'm not so sure."

Lucy let out a small laugh and smiled up at Gajeel. "You know, for being such a bitch baby all the time, you're pretty good at making me feel better."

"What the fuck is a 'bitch baby'?" Gajeel asked incredulously.

"See what you're doing right now?" Lucy shot back, pointing at him and circling her finger, " _That's_  a bitch baby."

"See? You're fucking insane," Gajeel retorted with a scowl. "Making shit up like a total lunatic."

Lucy laughed again and rolled her eyes, then got off the bed and laid down on the floor to reach under her bed. She grabbed a book and pulled it out, sitting up on her knees with a reminiscent smile then wiping the small bit of dust off of it that had collected on the cover. After sitting back down on the bed, she clutched the book to her chest and looked over at Gajeel. "I wanted to do something, but I don't want you to get all shitty about it," she said with a smirk.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to give you something."

Gajeel blinked, then blinked again. Then his jaw dropped open and not a single thing came to mind on what to say. "Uh… why?" he finally asked.

"Consider it a thank you for helping me out, how about that?" Lucy said with a sweet smile.

"I was ordered to, Bunny Girl. Besides, you did the same for me, so we're even," Gajeel countered uneasily.

"Gajeel, this is what I meant by you 'getting all shitty'," Lucy said, her smile falling a little while she sighed and got ready to accept defeat. "You don't have to give me anything in return, you won't owe me anything. Just let me give this to you, okay?"

"O…kay?" Gajeel said slowly, still staring at Lucy like she had sprouted a second head. He honestly didn't remember a time when he'd been given anything, so the concept of accepting something from Lucy was new and uncomfortable terrain for him.

Lucy beamed at Gajeel, then crawled across the bed and settled herself in his lap just like she had done countless times while they were still in the mountains over the past week. When Gajeel was still completely rigid, she groaned and rolled her eyes at him. "Will you chill the fuck out? It's just a gift. I'm not trying to steal your fucking soul or anything."

 _A gift,_  Gajeel thought. Even Metallicana had never given him anything that could be considered a gift by normal standards, with the exception of saving Gajeel's life and teaching him. Never some physical trinket for him to hold onto. He stared at the book still clutched to Lucy's chest, wondering why she would want to give him anything in the first place. He was ordered to train her and get her to trust him, and he'd been sure that everything he'd done up to that point in time was a means to following Master Jose's orders. Something had obviously gone slightly awry in that plan when she had gained his trust as well, and Gajeel had no clue what he was supposed to do. He was baffled by the blonde, and he knew she could see it in his face when her head tilted to the side and she gave him that damn concerned look of hers that he—for whatever reason—couldn't ignore. "What?" he asked gruffly, his body still tense with some unknown anxiety.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked.

Gajeel just kept looking from her eyes to that book, then back.

"You know, I thought dragons loved hoarding possessions," Lucy said, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, so what?"

"So, why are you staring at my gift to you like it's threatening to eat your first-born child?"

Gajeel blanched, fully and truly blanched, at the mental picture of a book eating a baby. "I, uh…" He was still utterly clueless, and getting more confused by the second. He didn't know what to do about her giving him a gift, how to accept it, or what it meant. He was instantly worried that this was starting to head into that dangerous 'more than physical' territory that he'd been trying to avoid, and the part of him that had been yelling at him to hightail it out of there was nodding fervently with his arms crossed and shouting 'I told you so!' over and over.

Lucy giggled and said, "You act like you've never been given a gift before."

Gajeel's eyes snapped to hers and the words shot out before he could stop them. "I haven't." When he saw Lucy's face fall, her light mood instantly disappearing and giving way for her confusion and concern to surface again, Gajeel turned to stare at the stitching pattern on her bedspread. He hadn't meant to tell her that at all. It was something that was far too personal as far as he was concerned. Aside from the slight embarrassment over never experiencing something as simple as receiving a gift, there was a bitterness that started welling up inside of Gajeel while he wondered just why it had never happened. Even if he'd been given some small bauble by Metallicana at some point in his life, Gajeel would have cherished it forever; even more after his father disappeared. Maybe he wouldn't have felt as lonely as he always did if he had something to remember the dragon by, something to look at or hold that would remind him of the good times while he was growing up. It would have been a driving force for him to search more actively for the scaly bastard that abandoned him, just so that Gajeel could kick his ass for doing it. Then again, with everything that had happened, maybe Gajeel would have been too torn up about his abandonment to hold onto something like that. He would have regretted it for the rest of his life if he destroyed something Metallicana had given him in a fit of rage. That little shit of a voice inside of him kept telling him to push her away and leave while he had the chance. To salvage what little of his dignity was left before she got too close to him. Lucy was treading through very dangerous waters while Gajeel's emotions tried to overwhelm him, and it seemed as though nothing would be able to stop him from leaving.

"Wh-What?" she whispered sadly. She was watching Gajeel's face harden by the second while he avoided her gaze, and realized that she was seeing what he looked like when he was embarrassed for the first time since she had met him. "Gajeel…"

"Bunny Girl, it's really not a big deal," Gajeel mumbled, getting himself ready to listen to that little voice. He needed to get out of there. She was pitying him, and he hated it. He wasn't weak, and only the weak needed pity. "I should just—"

"It is," Lucy said softly, leaning slightly to try and get Gajeel to look at her while his jaw clenched and unclenched and his eyes were swimming with emotions. "It's a huge deal…" When the Iron Slayer tensed at her words and moved his hands to push her away from him, Lucy realized her mistake. Those few words were making him angry, but not at her for offering him a gift. He was angry because she was saying it was important, and it was something he'd never experienced. Lucy sighed and put the book down on the bed and shifted so she was kneeling in front of him, then grabbed his face in both of her hands and forced his head up until she could see his eyes. With a gentle smile, Lucy said, "Getting a gift is something special, Gajeel. Regardless of the number of times someone gives you something, it lets you know that they were thinking of you, and wanted you to have something that would remind you of them."

"…"

"Your first gift is important, maybe more important than all the others simply because it's the first," Lucy continued when he just stared at her, his face completely devoid of all emotion while he hid it behind a scowl. She never let her smile falter, and hoped that she was saying what he needed to hear so he could understand her. Originally, her idea of giving him the book was because he had seemed interested in learning about the constellations, and she figured she could help him with it. Now, the idea of giving him  _this_  book in particular seemed all the more important to her. "So, will you let me give you a gift?"

"Why, Bunny Girl?" Gajeel asked coldly. "Why would you want to do something like that?"

Lucy flinched at the iciness of his tone, but pushed forward. The importance of what she'd wanted to give him had increased with her determination to help Gajeel. He might not be the nicest guy, and she still had some serious issues with his piss-poor attitude, but everyone deserved some form of happiness at least once. Even if she hated his guts, Lucy still didn't like seeing people suffer. She never had, and she never would. "Well, at first I wanted to give you something that I thought you'd like. Just a nice gesture, that's all…"

"At first?"

Lucy nodded and lightly stroked his cheeks for a moment before she grabbed his hands and turned them so his palms were facing the ceiling. She saw confusion hit him, and wondered why he was suddenly not trying to hide anything, when his brow furrowed and he watched her lean back to grab the book and carefully place it in his hands. Once the book was steady, with Gajeel staring intently at it, Lucy lifted her hands back to his cheeks and pulled his head up again. "Yes, at first," she whispered, "Now that I know it's more important than just a nice gesture, that it's really your first gift, I'll let you in on a secret." Lucy paused and took a deep breath, and kept smiling while she continued. "You seemed interested in learning about the stars before, and I wanted to give you something that could help you learn about them; namely, this book."

"That doesn't sound like a secret," Gajeel said cautiously.

"The secret is that  _this_  book was actually my mom's at one point," Lucy said, "She was the most important person in my life while I was growing up, and the reason I even learned about magic in the first place. My mom was everything to me, and when she died a big part of me died with her. All I've got left of her are far too few memories, and little things here and there from the time I spent with her. She gave me this book a couple months before she died so I could keep learning about the stars. All eighty-eight constellations are in there; their stories, what the constellations look like, where they are in the sky, how to find them in relation to others or the North Star, what seasons they're more likely to appear in. Everything you could want to know is in here. It was special to her, just like it's special to me. And I want you to have it."

Gajeel frowned, his eyebrows pushing together while he looked at her. "I… I can't take this…" he said, trying to push the book away from himself and back into Lucy's hands. This was way too much for him to handle. Maybe if it was something insignificant, he could accept it; but he couldn't possibly take a memento like this from her. If it was the other way around, Gajeel would never give up something of Metallicana's for anyone else.

Lucy shook her head and pushed the book back towards Gajeel. "You can. I want you have it, Gajeel. I've memorized that whole book. I know the stories, how to find them, and what they look like. It doesn't hold any new knowledge for me, just the sentimental value of having something that was hers."

"Right, that's why I can't—"

"No," Lucy said more insistently, "That's why you  _can_  have it. She would want me to pass this knowledge on to someone else that would appreciate it. To someone that can see the stars as more than what they are. Even if you have this book for the rest of your life, and never pass it on to anyone else, at least there will be one more person in the world that cares even a little bit about them. You understand them, and I know it would make her happy that I gave this to you. Please, Gajeel… Please take it."

Gajeel looked from Lucy back down at the book and saw for the first time how worn the cover and pages were from use. It was well-bound in leather, the pages slightly yellowed from age, and the cover and spine had intricate gold lettering and an elegant border around the title. He lightly traced a finger over the lettering, letting himself get lost in how they were slightly embossed into the leather.  _Who would have thought… A book for a dragon…_  Gajeel's heartbeat had become erratic for some reason he couldn't place while he looked at the book. To anyone else, it was just a book. But, it was something deeply important to Lucy, a connection with the one person in her life that was essentially the same as Metallicana for him, and she wanted him to have it; to keep it; to use it. Just like Metallicana had given him knowledge, Lucy was offering essentially the same thing but in a physical form. Gajeel never had anything to pass on to honor Metallicana's memory, even though he was sure that he wouldn't have been willing to part with it, but Lucy did. She wanted to honor her mother's memory by doing something that would have made the woman happy. She was giving him something to treasure just like she had treasured it, and her mother before her.  _Treasure, huh?,_  he thought drily as he remembered how often Metallicana had told him about the way dragons hoard treasure and trinkets.

Lucy honestly couldn't have pictured a better reaction from Gajeel while he finally really looked at the book in his hands. Before, when he didn't understand why she wanted him to have it, he had almost seemed afraid of it. Now that he was actually looking at the book, he was lightly tracing the letters just as she had done countless times, just as her own mother had done. He seemed to be in awe of what he held while he mulled over her words, completely lost to the outside world and unaware of every emotion that sat plainly on his face. He seemed to have instantly understood how important it was once she explained everything, and his surprise was evident while he looked down at his gift. Lucy silently slipped off of the bed and walked over to her writing desk. She opened a drawer and pulled out one of her spare bookmarks. It was just a simple inch-wide slip of fabric with a black woven cord on one end, and no special designs on it, but the irony that it was a deep red that happened to match Gajeel's eyes wasn't lost on her. She pulled out a black fine-tipped marker and channeled her inner artist while she drew a small picture on the other end of the bookmark, opposite from the cord. Once she was done, Lucy put the marker back and silently sat back down on the bed as she waited for Gajeel to look away from the book.

"Bunny," he finally whispered, fighting to keep the emotions that had filled him once he realized just how important something like this was out of his voice. "I… I don't know what to say."

Lucy giggled lightly and watched as Gajeel's eyes shot up to hers. She placed her hand gently on top of his, then said, "You say…" She paused and cleared her throat, then deepened her voice as much as possible and tried to do her best impression of Gajeel while she scowled at him. "'Thank you, Bunny. This means a lot.'"

His jaw dropped open and his eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Was that supposed to be me?" he asked.

Lucy laughed and nodded, covering her face with one hand to hide how she had flushed with embarrassment as soon as the words had left her mouth. Sure, she had mimicked Gajeel countless times when she was ranting to herself at home, growling and being a general grump like he usually was, but she had never intended to let him hear her doing it. She carefully peeked between her fingers to see the corner of Gajeel's mouth quirked up into a small smirk. "Was it bad?" she asked sheepishly.

"I don't know," Gajeel said, "I didn't realize I got so red in the face when I talked."

Lucy's other hand flew up to her face and she dropped her head to the bed to hide, and finally heard Gajeel's laughter sounding over her head. "It's not that bad," she mumbled into the comforter.

"Your ears are turning red," Gajeel pointed out. When she squeaked and covered her ears in vain, he could only shake his head and laugh. He carefully put the book down on the nightstand, noticing for the first time that Lucy's belt with her keys and whip were hanging on a hook right next to her bed, then turned back to the small lump of a blonde in front of him. "Come here, Bunny," he chuckled.

Lucy peeked up at Gajeel's face for a moment, seeing the amusement in his eyes at her expense, then slowly uncurled herself from a little ball before moving to sit in his lap again.

Gajeel turned Lucy's face up to his and gently pressed his lips to hers. She was right, it did mean a lot to him. His inner dragon was ecstatic at being given something to treasure, and Gajeel himself actually found that he really appreciated what she had done. The part that kept telling him to run, that this was just one more ploy to bend him to her will and make him fall into a trap, was practically jumping up and down in its anger, pointing at the book and then gesturing to how he was holding her. It shouted again and again that this was a mistake, that she was just using him, that he shouldn't just accept what she said, and started pacing back and forth while it continued ranting. It was screaming that he needed to get out of there as quickly as possible, and Gajeel almost laughed out loud when a mental picture popped into his head of his inner dragon quite literally eating that smug little bastard and shutting him up for good. Once there was just that beast that kept purring happily and patting its full belly, Gajeel barely pulled away, just enough to look into Lucy's eyes and whispered, "Thank you, Bunny. This means a lot."

Lucy blushed and smiled up at him. "Yeah, it sounds better when you say it," she whispered back, "I just can't make myself all growly."

"My voice is growl—You know, I can't even bring myself to say that word…"

Lucy giggled and nodded at him. "Yes, it's very  _growly_ ," she drawled. Before he could even glare at her, Lucy leaned up and kissed him, then pulled back and said, "I have one more thing for you, but it goes with the book, okay?"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow and stayed silent while he handed him a piece of red fabric with a black cord on one end and a small hand-drawn picture on the other. "Okay, two questions… What is this?"

"It's a bookmark," Lucy said plainly, reaching over to the nightstand and grabbing the book. She flipped through the pages, looking for one entry in particular, and said, "Next question."

"Why is there a rabbit on here?"

Lucy bit her lips to stifle her laughter, but one look at Gajeel's curiously amused face broke her resolve. She couldn't help it. She honestly tried to stop, but there was just no way. She made a strange choking noise, then a small tinkling laugh fell out of her mouth, a snort, a giggle, another snort, and then full-on laughter as she held the book up to her face to hide from him.

Gajeel chuckled and said, "Okay, one more question… Is that you laughing or are you in the middle of dying right now?"

"BOTH!" Lucy shrieked, tears streaming down her face while she gasped for air between fits of laughter.

"I'd really rather you didn't die, Bunny," Gajeel said seriously, "I'm not into corpses."

"Oh, thank god!" Lucy shouted, still giggling uncontrollably while she dramatically wiped her brow, "That's just severely decreased my competition!"

"Goddamnit, Bunny," Gajeel said, rolling his eyes at her. This was one of the few times he'd actually seen her really laughing, and Gajeel just couldn't understand why she didn't do it more often. Her smile was brilliant and it took everything he had to keep himself from joining in when he saw it. Over the past month, Gajeel had slowly seen a completely new side of Lucy that he didn't think was even possible in comparison to how they'd met. How could she be so happy and carefree right then, laughing like a lunatic, and then turn into a cold heartless bitch? He couldn't wrap his mind around the two opposing sides of her, and found himself wondering what had made Lucy into the person she was. Gajeel would never admit it out loud, but seeing Lucy smile somehow melted his insides into a soothing calm; one that he never wanted to let go of—whatever that meant. When she had finally relaxed enough, he held the bookmark up and looked at her expectantly. "The rabbit?"

"Right," Lucy said, forcing her face to be serious before she smiled at him. "Just a reminder of who gave it to you."

"I doubt I'd forget something like that, little Bunny" Gajeel said with a smirk.

"Well, if you ever get amnesia then you'll see a picture of a bunny and maybe it'll jog your memory," Lucy said nonchalantly with a shrug. On the inside, Lucy's stomach had done some strange little flutter at the way he was looking at her. Even when the two of them were able to joke around without aggravating the other, Gajeel's eyes still held a hardness and distance to them. Right then, when Lucy looked into those ruby eyes, she saw them soften considerably and warmth bloomed in her chest only to spread through her like molasses. She felt the faintest traces of a blush starting to blossom on her cheeks, and seriously hoped that he would see it as an effect of her hysterical laughter and nothing more, since she didn't even know why it was happening.

"That is the most ridiculous thing you've said all day."

"No," Lucy said with a wide grin, "The most ridiculous thing I've said all day was earlier when I was talking with Master. He kept asking how much I trusted you, and I'm pretty sure he was trying to get me to say something nice about you… So, I told him the exact opposite!"

"What did you say?" Gajeel asked warily. "You know he's good at telling when someone's lying."

"That's the best part! I wasn't lying!" Lucy said happily. "I told him that I'd rather shove six dozen rusty knives up my ass than have to deal with your grating voice constantly nagging about me being a whiny bitch."

"Fucking hell, Bunny Girl!" Gajeel shuddered while he stared at her wide-eyed. "That's a lot of rusty knives… Didn't realize I warranted  _six_  dozen. Maybe half a dozen…"

"See? You understand!" Lucy said. "The six dozen part was ridiculous, because you're right… it's closer to six rusty knives. Everything else, yeah pretty much sums you up in a shit-covered nutshell."

"I swear, you come up with the most descriptive insults I've ever heard," Gajeel mumbled. When Lucy laughed again, he smirked at her and added, "A shit-covered nutshell… And last week you called me a gold-plated shit gibbon… You're fucking twisted."

Lucy frowned for a moment, and said, "You know, 'gold-plated' wasn't the right word." She paused then grinned at Gajeel. "Iron-plated would have been more appropriate."

"Damn right," Gajeel nodded, then leaned down to kiss her cheek. "No way in hell would I be caught dead walking around covered in gold. Besides, iron is stronger."

"Very true," Lucy said as she cuddled closer to Gajeel, "Gold has to be mixed with things like copper, silver, and even iron just to decrease its malleability so it can be used for something as simple as jewelry. Iron can stand on its own without the addition of any other metals and still remain unyielding. Then again, even iron can be made stronger if you add carbon to it, because then it becomes steel."

Gajeel gaped at Lucy, his eyes wide and eyebrows raised in utter shock. "How the fuck do you even know that?"

Lucy blushed and grimaced. She didn't want to disclose how she was raised because she wanted to leave it all behind, even if there were random times that she remembered the studies that had been drilled into her head by her tutors over the years. Honestly, it didn't matter to her if Gajeel knew that she was technically an heiress, but she didn't want him or anyone else to treat her differently because of who her father was. "Um… I like to read a lot."

"And you read about metal, when?" Gajeel asked slowly, wondering if she had done research on it because of him. If that was the case, half of him would have been worried about her being a stalker, and the other half would have fully enjoyed it.

Lucy tilted her head to the side while she tried to remember when she'd learned about the elements in her science studies. "Maybe when I was… nine? Or ten? I can't really remember."

"Shit, who knew you could have huge tits  _and_  a brain," Gajeel muttered incredulously, earning him an elbow to the gut.

"Ass," Lucy grumbled while she looked down at the book in her hands, then smiled and lightly stroked the page with a picture of a dragon. She carefully took the bookmark from Gajeel and laid it on the open pages, then whispered, "Now you'll know how to find him."

"That's why you did it," Gajeel said after she put the book back on the nightstand. "So I could see him again?"

Lucy bit her lip and nodded at him. "Just in case I'm not there with you to point Draco out, you'll know how to find him."

Finally, Gajeel wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly to his chest, letting himself get lost in her scent while he nestled his nose in her hair. "Thanks, Bunny," he whispered gratefully.

"No problem," Lucy whispered back, with a soft smile on her face.

* * *

Gajeel was ripped out of his black void of sleep by the smell of food and a soft humming sound coming from the kitchen. His eyes stayed closed while he took in his surroundings, but he already knew exactly where he was based on the fact that Lucy's scent was surrounding him more than just from her lying next to him. While Gajeel laid there, perfectly content to soak up as much of the sweet smell of the blonde mixed with that aromatic concoction she was making, he thought about the previous night and wondered what it would mean for the two of them.

~.~

After Lucy had given him the book, they ended up laying down on the bed and actually just talking to one another. They swapped stories about missions, where Lucy was much more interested in hearing about his own than telling him about hers, and she explained that he had much more experience so there were more stories for him to tell in general. They didn't even try to bring up anything about their pasts, or much more about themselves, and he didn't really mind it in the least. Eventually, Lucy had picked up the constellation book and handed it to Gajeel, telling him to go ahead and pick a random page and tell her about the constellations. He hadn't realized it at the time, but she had suckered him into reading her the most ridiculous version of a bedtime story imaginable.

Once Lucy was asleep, Gajeel had put the book down on the nightstand again and silently got out of her bed. He'd look around her apartment, unsure of what he was supposed to do, and when he'd looked back down at her sleeping face something deep inside of him was pulling him back to her. The shitty little voice that had called out all of those warnings didn't make a peep when he took a slow step closer to her, and when Gajeel remembered the mental picture he'd had of the dragon eating it Gajeel couldn't help but sigh. He was officially on his own when it came to figuring out what to do. He had run his hands through his hair again and again, then looked back down at her. Lucy was lying on top of her comforter in a tank top and a skirt, with the skirt itself doing absolutely nothing to hide her bare ass underneath it. With a sigh, Gajeel walked over to her and slowly unzipped her skirt, then shrugged as he reached up and unclasped her bra since she'd told him before how uncomfortable it actually was to wear the thing while she was sleeping. He slid one strap down her arm, then carefully rolled her onto her back so he could get the other strap down as well. Once he slowly extracted the lacy blue material that matched the little slip of fabric covering her sex, he couldn't help but take in just how she looked while he pulled the blanket up over her. Her pigtails from that morning were still somehow intact, and Gajeel almost left them in place until he realized that he wasn't actually planning on leaving; if he was going to sleep next to her, he'd rather her hair wasn't tied back so her scent could wash over him again and again. After all of that, the moment he'd seen how she looked while she was under the covers had Gajeel utterly flabbergasted at both his instant decision that he wasn't going anywhere and the realization that she looked lonely and he  _wanted_  to be there when she woke up.

After removing the small elastic bands from Lucy's hair, putting her clothes in a hamper that he'd missed before, and turning off the lights Gajeel walked back over to the bed and stripped down to his boxers. He and Lucy had slept next to each other nearly every night since her last nightmare in the woods, and it was only the past week that had gotten him used to feeling her bare skin against his no matter where he touched her. Needless to say, that one week of falling asleep together after sex had become his routine, and how he was able to judge whether or not it was still in the arbitrary 'green zone' he'd created in his head. As far as he was concerned, sleeping next to her naked after sex meant waking up naked and having more sex, and he was perfectly fine with that. This time was different in more ways than one. They hadn't had sex, they were still partially clothed, she had fallen asleep with him reading to her, and they were in her apartment where she was the most comfortable. Not to mention the fact that she'd cooked him dinner, they'd had a normal conversation without arguing with one another, and she'd given him the first gift he'd ever gotten. Then there was his recent realization that he wanted to be around her, and even how he'd felt when she was happy and laughing. Gajeel sensed a shift in what he and Lucy were, definitely noticing that it was something more than just physical but still unsure what was making it more than that. It was easy to see the physical side of their relationship, but the other stuff that happened between them had him questioning whether it was friendly or romantic. He'd never been interested in either, so he couldn't begin to distinguish them.

All Gajeel knew was that the beast inside of him purred louder as he settled himself under the covers, and louder still when Lucy hummed softly and rolled over to wrap her arm around his waist with a sliver of a smile on her lips. He'd immediately wrapped his arms around her while he got comfortable, and unconsciously nestled his nose in her hair while he drifted off to sleep.

~.~

The light scraping of a rubber utensil against a pan brought Gajeel out of his memory of the night before, and he listened intently to try and figure out what Lucy was doing. He could hear the sizzling of bacon, a small sloshing of water that could only mean she was washing dishes, and that same humming he'd heard before. He honed in on that last noise, wondering why he couldn't place what it was or where exactly it was coming from, and felt like an idiot when he realized that it was Lucy. Humming to herself. And it was a song he actually knew. How she had managed to make something by Guns N' Roses sound like a lullaby was beyond him, but Gajeel didn't really mind it. Her voice was melodic and light, carefully flitting from note to note in perfect pitch while she went about her tasks in the kitchen.  _I didn't realize she even liked music._

Lucy smiled while she set everything out on the table, both of their plates already dished up along with drinks and utensils—an iron fork for Gajeel since she'd washed the one he had used the night before so he wouldn't need to make another—then looked over at her bed to see that he had rolled over onto his stomach and his face was buried in her pillows. She sat herself down on the edge of the bed, marveling at how the hulking man could easily dwarf it just by stretching out completely, and placed her hand lightly on his shoulder. "Gajeel," she said while she shook him, "Food."

"Mm," Gajeel grunted, having been lulled back to sleep by her scent from the pillows when he rolled over and her humming filtering into his ears.

"If you're done sniffing my pillows like a creeper, there's food on the table," Lucy said with a light laugh.

"…"

When he didn't move in the slightest, Lucy smirked and stood up to stand a few feet away from the bed so he couldn't make a grab for her. "Well, I guess if you won't get up I'll just put my clothes back on."

"…"

 _Seriously?_  Lucy frowned and shook her head, then moved back over to the bed. With a devious grin, she slowly crawled over to Gajeel and straddled his lower back with her back towards his head. "Are you awake?" she asked sweetly. When there was no response, Lucy's grin turned wicked and she used one hand to slide down the waistband of his boxers so one deliciously muscular cheek of his backside was bared. "Gajeel?" she crooned with the same sweet voice while she raised her hand high in the air.

"…"

Lucy brought her hand down sharply onto the bare skin as hard as she could, vaulting off of the startled and grumpy mage in a vain attempt at gaining freedom only to be roughly pulled back to him and then tucked underneath him on the bed. She was surprised that he wasn't actually crushing her, since his leg was thrown over hers and her face was pressed against his neck; the guy was quite literally lying on top of Lucy, but it seemed as though he didn't weigh a ton and a half like she knew he did.  _How in the hell…?!_

"Don't spank me, Bunny," Gajeel muttered, "I'm awake."

"How long have you been awake for?" Lucy asked incredulously.

Gajeel grinned, keeping his eyes closed and his nose in the pillows, and said, "Since you decided to try getting all kinky. You're a perverted little Bunny. Never knew you had it in you."

"Oh, shut up," Lucy grumbled with a blush. "That's not what I was doing. I just knew it would wake you up."

"Surrrrre," Gajeel teased, squeezing her lightly when she started moving around. "Stop squirming, Bunny."

"Gajeel, why are you using me as a teddy bear?" Lucy asked while she tried to wriggle out from beneath him.  _How did he get me under the damn_ _ **blanket**_ _with him that fast?!_

"You're a bunny, not a bear." Gajeel yawned and stretched, still not letting Lucy out of his grasp, and smirked when he heard her sighing in defeat while he snuggled closer to her.

"You have got to be the cuddliest little thing ever," Lucy teased.

"You know there's not a damn thing about me that's little."

Lucy smirked and said, "You didn't deny being cuddly."

Gajeel shrugged. "No point denying it. The 'little' thing on the other hand…"

"True, you have  _no_  idea how sore I was after we left that waterfall."

Gajeel frowned and squeezed her again, then said, "You never said anything."

Lucy smiled and kissed his neck, the only place she could reach, and said, "Well, you never asked. Besides, it was definitely worth it."

Gajeel couldn't stop frowning when he realized that she was right. He'd never asked her if she was okay afterwards, even though he'd let himself lose control with her. Granted, he didn't usually care to ask if the chick he was with was hurt at all, because they were just a hole for him to fill until he got off. Something about Lucy being in pain really didn't sit well with Gajeel, and the fact that  _he_  was the cause of it made his stomach churn. Regardless of how much Lucy enjoyed it, he didn't want to hurt her while they were having sex. "Bunny…" he whispered. "Tell me if I hurt you, okay? Even if I don't ask…"

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked, furrowing her brow and trying to look up at his face.

"Well, apparently I hurt you before," Gajeel mumbled, "And then all the marks on you. I don't have to be so rough with you… I don't want you to think you have to do that just for us to keep fucking."

"Gajeel," Lucy whispered in confusion. She had no idea where his concern was suddenly coming from. It was nice to hear him say that he didn't want to hurt her, and that if she needed him to be gentler he would, but she couldn't place why he seemed so upset all of a sudden. "You didn't  _hurt_  me, I was sore. There's a difference."

"How so?"

Lucy sighed and kissed his neck again, then carefully slid her arms around his waist and rubbed slow circles on his back to try and ease the tension in him. "Yes, you were rough and wild, and downright fucking sexy when you let go and really fucked my brains out. But I would have been sore even if we'd just fucked normally. Think about it. That monstrous  _pierced_  piece of equipment you're sporting, and my—according to you—virgin-tight hoo-ha. Kind of a given."

"Did you just call your pussy a 'hoo-ha'?"

Lucy giggled and nodded. "Yep. But seriously, I'm fine. And I was fine that day. If it really mattered, I would have said something—most likely bitching you out for tearing my shit up."

Gajeel sighed, feeling at least a little relieved especially with how her fingers were pushing on knots in his back he never knew existed, then asked, "And the marks?"

"I seem to recall  _telling_  you—and then practically  _forcing_  you—to bite me that first time," Lucy countered. "And with the second one, I bit you too. The scratches? You leave those all the time, and they go away in a day or so; you've got sharp teeth, so I can't really fault you for it. The hickeys?" Lucy shrugged. "I don't mind them. Besides, I know that you're doing that instead of biting me again, so I get it."

"How in the hell are you just okay with that?" Gajeel asked.

Lucy just shrugged again. "I don't know. It doesn't bother me. I'll tell you what though. Just looking at them yesterday before you came over got me all hot and bothered. Like I said, it's great inspiration for my story. Now the damn thing doesn't seem like a total train wreck."

"You'll tell me though, right?" Gajeel asked softly. "If I hurt you?"

Lucy nodded and turned her head a little to kiss his collar bone. "I'll tell you. If I need something, I'll let you know." After a moment, she added, "And, by the way, I like it when you're rough, so don't start worrying about me doing that because you want to. I'm a selfish little bitch sometimes."

Gajeel chuckled and squeezed her again. "Guess I can't really argue with that…" He sighed contentedly and let Lucy's fingers work some ungodly form of magic on his back while he finally relaxed again. With the impromptu massage she was giving him, feeling her body pressed against his, and the way her scent filled every breath he took, Gajeel was slowly being lulled into the most relaxed state he could ever remember being in. Just as he was about to start drifting off to sleep, he heard her voice.  _Damn, so close._

"You know, breakfast is ready," Lucy said.

"I know."

"So, what are you waiting for? Get over to the table and eat."

"Waiting for you to say good morning," Gajeel taunted, his words being muffled by the pillows.

"Well, I can't do that from down here." Lucy smiled when Gajeel finally rolled onto his side and loosened his grip on her, his hands slowly caressing her back. She slid up until she could reach his lips, and the corners of her mouth turned up when he leaned down to capture her lips first. "Good morning, Gajeel," Lucy whispered once she pulled back.

"Morning, Bunny," Gajeel answered. "It's official, your bed's better than mine."

Lucy laughed when Gajeel snuggled closer while lying on his side, and still didn't open his eyes. "What makes you say that?"

"My bed doesn't smell like you," Gajeel said, slowly opening his eyes to see a light blush on her cheeks.

"Well, get a good whiff now, weirdo," Lucy said with a smirk, "I've gotta leave for the train station at ten, and you won't be smelling me for a week."

"Trust me, I know," Gajeel muttered, squeezing her lightly and nestling his nose in her hair.

Lucy giggled and said, "I was kidding, Gajeel. You don't need to smell me."

With a devious grin, Gajeel dramatically sniffed her hair, then laughed when she squeaked and tried to pull away. "You can't get away from me, little Bunny," he taunted, tightening his grip around her. He was in an oddly playful mood at the moment, and he wasn't sure if it was due to how relaxed he was, or just the fact that Lucy had gained more of his trust and made him willing to let down his guard for the time being. Regardless of the reason, Gajeel just knew he was going to enjoy himself based on her reactions alone. He rolled over onto his stomach pinning her beneath him again, and started snuffling like a dog, intentionally blowing in her ear and down her neck with each large exhale. A wide grin spread across his face when Lucy started laughing and trying to push him away, her legs flailing off to the sides instead of actually assisting in her attempt at freedom, but Gajeel just moved across her throat and repeated the same thing on the other side of her face. "I've got you right where I want you."

"I said one!" Lucy shouted, still failing miserably at dislodging the unusually playful Dragon Slayer. In the back of her mind, Lucy noticed that the way Gajeel was acting was reminiscent of the day he bit her. Since  _that_  hadn't happened again, and he'd only just woken up, she honestly had no clue what had come over him. "And that tickles, you silly Dragon!"

Gajeel kissed Lucy's temple and said, "But, you said a  _good_  one. I haven't found a good spot yet."

"This is ridiculous," Lucy shot back with a blush and a smile. "Oh for the love of—Gajeel!" Lucy stared down at him in disbelief when he started moving down her body, smelling every inch of her robe-clad chest.

Gajeel frowned and looked up at Lucy, then said, "There's something in the way, Bunny. Maybe that's why I can't find a good spot." He winked at her, causing her blush to deepen while he pushed her robe to the side with his nose and started on his little journey again. Needless to say, Gajeel was pleasantly surprised to find nothing under her robe. Lucy had apparently taken her tank top off when she woke up, and that was something he was perfectly fine with since he wasn't sure how he was going to convince her to do it. "What time is it, Bunny?" he asked while he circled one nipple with his nose, feeling it pucker under his attention and the breath that danced over it.

"Seven," Lucy answered breathlessly.

"You wake up too damn early, you know that?" he said while he moved to her other breast, pushing the robe away from her with his nose.

"You're enjoying this too much," Lucy giggled, propping herself up on her elbows. "Seriously, what's up with you and always smelling me?"

"You smell good. That's really all there is to it," Gajeel said, pausing at her belly button to look up at her with mischievous eyes. He saw her watching him with rapt attention when he lowered his mouth to the small bow on her robe that tied it closed. Carefully, so he didn't accidentally bite through it, Gajeel closed his teeth around the ends of the bow and pulled them to untie it while he kept his eyes locked on hers. Once the robe was loose, he grinned at the newly bared tan skin and started moving across her stomach, smelling every inch of her that he could.

"There's more to it and you know it," Lucy said. "You don't go around smelling everyone like this. Otherwise you'd probably have been arrested for assault by now."

"Okay, there's more to it," Gajeel said with a shrug, his nose circling one hip and slowly moving down her thigh.

"So, tell me."

"I already have. You smell like icing, and it's relaxing." Up the other thigh to circle her hip.

"Nothing more?"

Gajeel grinned deviously while he hovered over her lace-covered center and looked into her eyes. "Ask me the next time I bite you, Bunny. I'm sure you'll be able to get it out of me then."

"So you're willing to do that again?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to the side and letting him see how surprised she was.

"Definitely," Gajeel said. "Still have to wait a couple weeks. Your marks have to heal first." He paused and waited for her to say something, and when he decided she had taken too long, Gajeel lowered his head and pressed his nose to her sex. "Found it," he chuckled.

"Of course you did," Lucy whispered with a smirk. "I should have known."

"Can I have a taste?" he asked while he looked up at her, his lips and nose lightly brushing over her core while he teased her. He smirked when he saw her visibly shudder, heard the increased pounding of her heart, and the scent of her arousal hit him full force.

"No. You can have the breakfast on the table first before it gets any colder," Lucy said firmly, forcing her brain to function and words to come out of her mouth instead of tearing off her panties right then. When Gajeel sighed and started to move, she clamped her thighs around his head and giggled when he glared at her. "I'm your dessert, Gajeel. You said I taste sweet, so don't spoil your appetite."

"True, but I've got a  _huge_  appetite. I'll be fine with just a little taste," Gajeel countered hopefully.

Lucy giggled again and let his head go, then slowly sat up and got off of the bed. "No sweets before breakfast," she sang while she made her way to the table, fixing her robe in the process so he wouldn't be too tempted again.

"You're a tease, you know that?" Gajeel asked, his eyes instantly drawn to her swaying hips. Every movement had that black silk robe of hers sliding higher for the briefest of moments to tease him with a glimpse of her rear.

"Am I?" Lucy asked innocently. "I seem to recall waking up early so you'd have enough time with me before I have to leave for my mission. You're welcome, by the way."

Gajeel smirked as he sat down, not even bothering to put his pants back on since he was going to have her on her back in no time. "You win this round, Bunny. But, you might not be able to walk to the train station after I'm done with you."

"Challenge accepted," Lucy said with a grin.

 


	7. Arc 1: Her Mission

 

The train ride to Magnolia really couldn't be over soon enough. When Lucy had boarded the train, she had been completely alone in her compartment with only a dozen or so people boarding the southbound train along with her. At the second to last stop before they reached Magnolia, people had started filing onto the train in droves, causing her compartment to become filled with loud and obnoxious drunks that kept staring at her like she was a piece of meat. She had to keep a low profile, so unless one of them actually tried to attack her or touch her, there wasn't anything that she could do aside from ignore them and keep her eyes trained on the passing scenery.

The man next to Lucy shifted in his seat, the scent of bourbon and sweat wafting over and making her stomach churn. His arm brushed against her, and Lucy grimaced at the thought of him even touching her. Instead of moving away like she had anticipated, his arm stayed against hers, so Lucy moved just a little closer to the window and away from him. A minute later, he moved again and Lucy sighed in defeat. "Excuse me," she said as politely as possible, "Could you please move over a little bit?"

"Aw come on, don't be like that," the man slurred.

"I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't touch me," Lucy ground out, losing her temper by the second as he scooted just a little closer, the other men in the compartment laughing wildly at their friend's antics.

The man placed his hand on her jean-clad thigh, lower than he wanted but still high enough to get his point across. "Come on," he drawled, "I like blondes."

"Oh, fuck this!" Lucy shouted, whirling around to glare at the man. "Let. Go. Of. Me."

"Oh ho ho! Blondie's got a mouth on her!" one of the other drunks chortled.

The man's grip tightened slightly while he returned her glare, then his eyes darkened and a wicked grin spread across his face. "I don't think you understand the situation."

"No, I don't think  _you_  understand," Lucy seethed. Her hand whipped out and grabbed a handful of his hair. "Touch me and you'll regret it."

"Hair pulling? Really?" the man laughed.

With a scowl, Lucy's grip on his hair tightened and she smashed his face into the window. Twice. The sickening crunch of his nose breaking on impact hit her ears, and Lucy stood to her feet once he slumped on the floor. "Tell your friend he should mind his goddamn manners," she said to the shell-shocked men that were gaping at her. With a sigh, Lucy walked out of the compartment, thankful that Virgo was holding onto her bag so she wouldn't have to try and wrestle with it during her change of seats.

Every compartment Lucy looked in was full, and she was ready to accept that she would need to just go back to her original seat and deal with the men for the next couple of hours until she reached her destination. In the very last compartment, right across from the bathrooms, Lucy peaked in the window to see two men sitting across from one another and chatting amicably.  _Okay, be nice as long as they're not perverts,_  she thought to herself while she knocked on the door. When both men looked her way, she smiled sweetly and poked her head in. "Hey, I hate to be a bother, but… is there a free seat in here?" she asked hopefully.

The two men exchanged identical glances with almost unnoticeable smirks on their faces, then the one on the left turned back to Lucy and waved her inside. He moved over sit right next to the window when she came in, and Lucy happily took the seat he'd offered. "Thank you so much," she gushed. "If I have to smell any more bourbon on some handsy pervert, I'm going to be sick."

"That bad, huh?"

Lucy turned to look at the man by the window who'd spoken. Spiky black hair, midnight blue eyes, a blue button-up shirt that was opened to reveal a tight black tank top, and a pair of forest green pants. She smiled sweetly and nodded. "Yeah, but it's okay. I handled it." She paused and sighed, then mumbled, "Probably shouldn't have broken his nose, though."

The man across from her laughed good-naturedly and shook his head. "You broke a guy's nose?"

Lucy turned to frown at the man, finally taking in his appearance. He had spiky orange hair, shorter than the raven-haired man's, a pair of sunglasses, a green coat with a fur-lined hood over an orange shirt, and black pants. "He wouldn't take a hint. I tried to be nice," she said, crossing her arms under her chest. "Like I said, he was kinda grabby… So, I  _may_  have smashed his face into the window… twice…"

The three in the compartment couldn't help but laugh at the circumstances. Both men laughing because she seemed so sweet and incapable of hurting a fly, and Lucy because it really was just ridiculous what had happened less than a day's journey away from her own guild.

"I'm Gray, by the way," the raven-haired man by the window said with a smirk.

"Loke," said the ginger-haired man across from her.

Lucy smiled at the two and said, "Lucy."

Gray glanced at Lucy after a few silent minutes and asked, "So, where are you headed?"

"Magnolia," Lucy answered automatically. She flinched internally when she realized that she would have to be extremely careful about any answers that she gave these two guys, but something as simple as her destination shouldn't be too revealing.

"What a coincidence," Gray said, "That's where we're headed. We just finished a mission, so we're heading back to the guild."

"Mission?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to the side, "So, you two are mages?" She looked from Gray to Loke and back, a small smile on her face.  _I know I'm not supposed to have direct contact with Fairy Tail mages, but if I leave now it'll look suspicious._

"Fairy Tail's finest," Gray announced, pulling his blue button-up shirt to the side and showing off his dark blue Fairy Tail guild mark.

"Um, where did your other shirt go?" Lucy asked.

"Huh?"

"Gray, your clothes," Loke chuckled, picking up the black tank top that the Ice Make mage had miraculously discarded.

"Damn," Gray muttered, leaning forward and grabbing the tank top from Loke and setting it in his lap. There really wasn't any point in trying to put it back on yet, and maybe the busty blonde would enjoy checking him out if she could see his abs. "So, Lucy. Where are you coming from?"

"Well," Lucy sighed, "I got on the train in Oak Town, but I've just kind of been bouncing around lately." She had to maintain a believable story, something as close to the truth as possible that couldn't lead back to Phantom Lord in the slightest. The closer she kept to the truth, the easier it would be to remember in the event she had to repeat her story later on. "I've been checking out different magic shops to see if I can find more Celestial Spirit Keys."

Loke stiffened and glanced down when he heard the faint jingling of keys in the compartment. Sure enough, on Lucy's belt was a large key ring with ten keys, five gold and five silver. Each moment that passed had him becoming more and more uncomfortable when he was able to see some of the signs on the Zodiac keys she held.  _Virgo. Taurus. Aquarius._  This girl had some very powerful keys in her possession, and she was still looking for more. "That's a lot of keys," Loke said absently, still staring at them and not noticing that Lucy had been watching him.

Lucy was broken from her stare when she heard Loke's voice. Something inside of her had been pulling her to him, saying he was familiar, but she couldn't understand why. Deciding to brush it off, Lucy placed her hand gently on her keys and removed the ring from her belt, then smiled down at them. "It's more than my mom had, but… Honestly, I'd love to have the whole Zodiac."

Loke furrowed his brow and looked up at her face. Lucy's voice had softened considerably and when he saw the small smile while she looked at her keys, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of Master his old friends had. "You'd be pretty powerful if you had them, right?" he asked cautiously.

Lucy looked up from her keys to the ginger-haired mage and nodded. "Sure, but that's not why I want them."

"Seriously?" Gray asked with a chuckle. "What reason could you have then?"

"Then they'd all be together again," Lucy said with a wide grin.

 _Together,_  Loke thought sadly.

"So, which one would you want more than anything?" Gray asked, turning slightly to lean his back against the window so he could see Lucy more easily.

"You mean  _who_?" Lucy asked pointedly. At Gray's confusion, Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes. "They're people, just like you and me. The key is a means to summon the spirit, but the spirits themselves are living beings. They're not things, Gray. They have feelings just like us."

 _Not things… She thinks they're people._  Loke stayed utterly quiet, his eyes trained on the keys once more.

"Sorry," Gray mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "So,  _whose_  key would you want more than anything?"

Lucy hummed in thought, never having considered which of the Zodiacs she would really want the most. She wanted all of them just so they could be together again, and she would have more friends. She finally grinned and said, "Leo the Lion!"

"Huh?" Loke asked absently, his eyes shooting back to her chocolate brown eyes.

Lucy nodded fervently and said, "Definitely. He's the leader of the Zodiacs, so of course I'd want them to have their older brother with them. Not to mention lions are loyal, and that's probably one of the best qualities to have in a friend." She sighed wistfully and shook her head. "Man, I hope I find his key one day. Maybe I'd even get Virgo to smile!"

"Virgo?" Loke asked.

Lucy turned to Loke and nodded. "Yeah, she's the Maiden. She talks about him sometimes," she said sadly, "She said she misses him so much. It must be really hard to be separated from your friends because of who holds your contract. That's why I want to have all twelve keys, then they can all be together again. Virgo won't miss Leo anymore, Aquarius will have more time with her boyfriend. It'll be wonderful!"

 _Virgo,_  Loke thought,  _I miss you too._ He studied the blonde for a long while when she turned to talk with Gray again. She seemed happy and bubbly. The way she talked about her spirits was exactly how any Celestial mage  _should_  talk about them. She had used words for her spirits that he hadn't heard in a long time—friends, people, not things, they have feelings. He was still wary of her, from what had happened with Karen in his own past, but Loke suddenly didn't feel as worried that his friends were in the wrong hands.  _She actually talks with Virgo._  Most of Virgo's masters never spoke with the maid unless they were asking for something. Lucy, however, seemed to have had full conversations with the pink-haired maid; enough to know that she missed Leo.

"So, are you in a guild?" Loke asked. "You're obviously a mage. Let me guess… Mermaid Heel, right?"

"Has to be," Gray said while he looked at Lucy, taking in her mouthwatering form in his peripherals, "Mermaid Heel has some of the most beautiful women I've ever seen."

Lucy giggled and shook her head. "No," she said with a light blush. "I've been considering joining a guild though. So far I've got a couple of options, but I don't think I can make up my mind just yet."

"So, come with us to Fairy Tail!" Gray cheered. "Trust me, once you get there you won't want to leave. We're like a huge family."

"It's true," Loke said with a smile. "We love bringing new mages in."

Lucy smiled and shook her head again. "Maybe some other time. Joining a guild isn't really my priority right now. I'd rather do solo work. But thanks for the offer."

"Aw, come on," Gray pleaded, giving her his best puppy-dog eyes. "What can we do to change your mind?"

Lucy's eyes widened and she said, "Gray, is there a reason your pants are gone?"

"ACK!" Gray screeched, jumping to his feet and looking frantically around the cabin until he spotted his pants on the seat next to Loke.

"Sorry about him," Loke said with a smile.

"No problem," Lucy laughed, dismissing the strangely fast stripping with a wave, "Does that happen often?"

"All the time," Loke answered with a laugh. "I can't tell you how many times we've been kicked out of bars for him walking around naked."

"It's not intentional," Gray sighed once he sat back down.

There were another few comfortable minutes of silence, then Lucy said, "Do you guys go on a lot of missions together?"

"Yeah," Loke answered. "Gray's probably the coolest partner around."

"What kind of magic do you use?" Lucy asked them both.

Gray grinned and cupped his hands together. "Put out your hands, Lucy." Once she lifted her hands, he carefully laid a small ice rose in them then said, "Ice Make magic. A beautiful flower for a beautiful woman."

Lucy looked down at the rose with a small smile. "That's very beautiful, Gray," she said, ignoring the way Gray was trying to flirt with her. "How about you, Loke?"

Loke smiled and raised his hand, then pointed to the rings on his fingers. "Ring magic."

"Well, why don't you guys tell me about your missions?" Lucy asked, brushing a hand over Horologium's key. "We still have an hour before we get to Magnolia." When the two Fairies started in on their story, Lucy kept her innocent smile in place while she thought about just how much information she might be able to get out of these two.  _This job might not be too difficult for me to do after all._

* * *

Lucy sighed when she left the magic shop, feeling slightly deflated that they hadn't had any keys for her to buy. With Gajeel having given her an equal cut of the pay from their mission together, Lucy had plenty of money to burn so she was even willing to pay extra for any keys she found.  _Focus on the mission, Lucy,_  she told herself before she could get too down. With renewed determination, Lucy started making her way towards the library. Occasionally, she would stop and chat with various people around town, asking for directions, buying a snack here or a little trinket there.

As soon as Lucy reached the library, she instantly brightened and strode inside. She made her way to the front desk, and politely said, "Excuse me, do you have back-issues of Sorcerer Weekly?"

"Yes, ma'am. Only from the past six months, though," the clerk answered with a smile, pointing towards the magazine section.

"Thank you," Lucy said, turning and striding over to find her target. She had decided to start with making a comprehensive list of Fairy Tail's members, using pictures that she found so she could match their faces with their names while she noted when and where they were at most often. She was pleasantly surprised when she found that the magazine had a habit of also noting small portions of their magic, either descriptions of it or actual pictures of the mages using it in action. She was surprised to find out that 'The Salamander' was rumored to be a part of Fairy Tail, but it made sense since he was also allegedly like a fiery cyclone that only left destruction in his wake. By the time Lucy had finished with her research, the sun was setting and the library was about to close. She gathered all of her notes and put the magazines back on the shelf, then made her way to a hotel a few blocks away from the Fairy Tail guild hall to book a room for the night. Lucy had decided that she wouldn't stay in one place for too long, and knew that she would have to spend a couple of nights outside while she kept an eye on the guild hall itself.

Once Lucy was in her room, she looked out the window to see the lights on the second floor of the guild still on, and was barely able to hear the sounds of boisterous laughter that swelled every time the doors were opened.  _They seem to be having a party,_  Lucy thought while she took note of the time and what she'd observed. Lucy closed her window, then summoned Crux.

"Hello, Miss Lucy," Crux said.

"Hey Grandpa Crux," Lucy replied with a smile. "I was wondering if there was any way you could find information on Fairy Tail for me."

"Fairy Tail?" Crux asked.

"Yeah, it's a magic guild," Lucy said as she gestured towards the window. "I've been sent on a reconnaissance mission."

"What would you like me to search for, Miss Lucy?"

"Any information on the guild hall—weaknesses, hidden rooms, blueprints, things like that—a list of members and their magic if you can find it, anything really. The most important part is the building itself," Lucy said while she tapped her finger on her chin. "If you can find information on the members, maybe even a way to rate their power levels aside from just an S-Class ranking. Can you do it?"

Crux smiled and said, "I'll see what I can find, Miss Lucy."

Lucy grinned when Crux started snoring while he searched, and sat down on the bed with the pictures she'd copied from those magazines lying around her. She instantly pulled the pictures of each of the S-Class mages—Erza Scarlet, Laxus Dreyar, MiraJane Strauss, Mystogan and Gildarts Clive—and set them down while she started piecing together the small bits of information from the magazines about their magic and personalities to create a small dossier on each person, with both Mystogan and Gildarts having little to no information whatsoever. After an hour had passed, with Lucy finally finishing the S-Class mages and getting ready to start on other guild members, she stood up and walked over to the window. Fairy Tail was still loud and could even be heard through her window if she listened hard enough. A glance at the clock told her it was nearing seven, so Lucy pulled out a small snack from her bag and ate while she started working again. As Lucy worked through each of the mages she was aware of in Fairy Tail, she created piles based on teams or who they were most commonly seen with. The guild seemed to have a lot of solo mages, much like Phantom Lord, and Lucy only saw three truly defined teams. Team Shadow Gear: Levy McGarden, Jet, and Droy. Raijinshuu: Laxus Dreyar, Freed Justine, Evergreen, and Bickslow; Lucy put a small note on this team because of the S-Class status of Laxus Dreyar. Team Young Mega-Death: Mickey Chickentiger, and no other known members. Lucy also added Loke and Gray to the team section of her piles simply because she knew that they worked as partners on almost every mission they undertook.

"AHH!" Crux shouted.

Lucy turned around quickly mid-stretch to look hopefully at Crux. "What did you find?" she asked excitedly.

"I have found a series of blueprints from the original construction of the Fairy Tail guild hall," Crux said. Several rolls of large parchment appeared in the air next to Crux and dropped to the floor as he continued. "There aren't many structural weak points to the building, and based on the destructive nature that is common knowledge to this guild, it stands to reason that portions of the interior have been reinforced over time. However, there are key weaknesses in each of these pages that are unstable enough that the destruction of one would have demolished a good portion of the building on its own."

Lucy grinned and clapped her hands. "That's wonderful!" she said happily. "What about the guild members? Did you find anything on them?"

"No, Miss Lucy," Crux answered. "I did not have enough information to do a thorough search in the time that your magic will allow."

Lucy nodded and tapped her chin in thought. "If I give you a list of their magic types, would you be able to make a compilation with details for each one while you're in the Spirit World?" she asked. "Types of spells that are most common, the average strength of a user of that magic, things like that."

"What would you like me to compare their strength to?" Crux asked.

"How about me? You're aware of my magic levels, and my own progression," Lucy said happily, "So, make a scale ranging from one to twenty, and use my level as ten for a baseline. Can you do it?"

"Of course, Miss Lucy," Crux answered. He waited for Lucy to create a list of magic types for him, and once she handed him the paper, Crux disappeared.

Lucy sighed and looked at the time. It was already well after midnight. "Five hours to get through every member," Lucy grumbled. She would need to add any information she'd heard from Loke and Gray to each of the files, and then anything that Crux was able to gather when she summoned him the next day. "One day down and six to go."

Lucy turned to the window and raised an eyebrow when she saw the lights and noise from the guild still hadn't died down. Phantom Lord closed up every night at ten, and if any of the mages still wanted to drink or hang out then they would go down to one of bars in town. Apparently, the Fairies liked to party long and hard if the yelling was any indication. Lucy noted the time again in a separate notebook that was specifically for the hall and its occupants' movements, then turned around and gathered her belongings to take a nice, relaxing bath before bed.

Once the water was the right temperature, Lucy plugged the drain and let the bathtub fill while she undressed. She looked at her neck and shoulders in the mirror and smiled gently when she saw the marks from her time with Gajeel. She traced each one, wincing slightly when her fingers passed a little too quickly over one of the bite marks, and when he hand moved down her chest Lucy blushed when she noticed a few newer hickeys on the tops of her breasts from that morning.

Because she had told Gajeel that he didn't need to calm that wild side of himself down when he was with her, he'd been more than willing to please her every carnal desire in the three hours they had before she had to leave for the train station. Nearly every surface in Lucy's apartment had been used in one way or another: she was bent over the kitchen counter, laid out on her dining table, sitting on the edge of her writing desk. They finally stopped on Lucy's bed, with her laying him out on his back and watching every reaction he refused to hide from her while she rode him into the ground. By the time she and Gajeel were done, they were panting and pouring sweat, and neither were willing to move.

It took one glance at the clock for Lucy to realize that she had fifteen minutes to shower and get dressed, causing her to jump off of the exhausted Dragon Slayer with more energy than her body should have been capable of while she bounded into the bathroom. Lucy hadn't even bothered to close the door, and jumped under the spray of water as soon as it was on. The curses she had screamed at the cold water had made Gajeel burst out laughing at her expense, and if she hadn't been running behind Lucy would have opened the shower curtain to let him see the water and soap sliding down her body to get him to shut his trap. As soon as Lucy was clean, she shut off the water—which hadn't even had a chance to get much further than lukewarm—and jumped out of the shower, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself while she ran over to her closet. Gajeel's laughter hadn't subsided in the slightest while she roughly dried herself off and threw her towel at him before quite literally hopping into a pair of panties and putting on a bra. The skinny jeans Lucy had decided to wear didn't help dissuade him from calling her 'Bunny Girl' since she had to jump a few times to pull them up all the way; sadly, a hairbrush was thrown in Gajeel's direction when he commented on it.

Lucy giggled and rolled her eyes at the memory of her morning while she slowly lowered herself into the steaming water once the bathtub was full, but the last thing she had expected was for Gajeel to stop her just before they left her apartment—with him saying he would shower at home and drop the constellation book off before heading to the guild—and do or say what he did. His hands had cupped her cheeks, his eyes boring into hers for a long moment, then he tipped her chin up and pressed his lips to hers in a tender caress. When he pulled back, Lucy had smiled at Gajeel, but he surprised her again when he pulled her into a hug.

" _Be careful, okay?"_

" _Of course, Gajeel."_

" _I'm serious. I don't want some shitty Fairies hurting my Bunny."_

It was the first time Gajeel had called her that since he'd bitten her in the rain.  _His Bunny,_  Lucy thought with a light giggle. It was silly to put any stock in that single pronoun. His. My. If Lucy was being honest with herself, she would have to say it felt nice to have Gajeel make that kind of claim. The rebellious heiress in her hated it, and said that him saying it that way made her seem like a possession just like the suitors her father had been trying to marry her off to. The only problem was that Gajeel was the exact opposite of all of those stuffy nose-in-the-air jerks that only cared about money. He was strong, powerful, occasionally endearing, and— _Damn, is he hot as hell._  Lucy pushed away the rebellious teen in her head and just let herself bask in the warmth that spread through her from such a simple statement. She couldn't bring herself to try and solve the riddle that was their unlabeled, physical-but-possibly-more relationship. She knew that she couldn't stand Gajeel when he was acting like a prick, but he'd shown her a side of himself that she was sure not many people had ever seen before. Cold and cruel one minute, and sweet and caring the next. The thought occurred to Lucy that maybe she and Gajeel weren't that different when it came to having a rough exterior. Maybe all he had ever needed was for someone to take the time to get to know who he really was, to care even just a little bit about what was inside of him. Maybe it was a matter of gaining his trust that had brought Lucy closer to the inner workings of the Dragon Slayer. In Lucy's experience with Gajeel alone, she knew that when she started trusting him she had felt more comfortable to be who she really was instead of the façade that she portrayed in public. She didn't have to be "Badass, Phantom's Resident Bitch, Take-No-Prisoners Lucy." No, Lucy only had to be who she was inside; laughing, joking around, caring, sweet, and an overall bubbly person. She hadn't been that way since her mother died, losing bits and pieces of it until Lucy thought there were only the memories of who she once was. Somehow, the meanest and probably scariest man in the guild had found a way to bring back her smile and her laughter. All because of an ordered month of training.

* * *

Lucy spent her morning finishing with each of the guild members' files, adding notes from what she had learned from Gray and Loke during their stories on the train. For instance, Erza Scarlet (or 'Titania') had a weak spot for strawberry cake and a penchant for breaking up fights in the guild with a single look. One Natsu Dragneel was hopelessly destructive, and dense when it came to everything except for fighting. Apparently MiraJane Strauss—whom they had affectionately referred to as 'Mira'—doesn't use her own magic any longer and tends the bar at the guild as a result of her own sister's death. Cana Alberona is the guild's resident drunk, but still effective in combat with her Card Magic. There was so much information that Lucy was able to gather just from the small references to each of the guild members that the two mages had made during their stories, and she wondered just why it was that Master Jose had ordered her to stay away from them. Normally, a mission like this would entail going undercover and making your way into their ranks to sniff out their weaknesses; however, he did say that his largest priority was the building itself.

After several hours, Lucy stretched and took a quick shower, then got dressed for the day. She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned when she realized that if she ran into Gray and Loke again they would recognize her, and she would end up wasting time while she tried to avoid them. With a sigh, Lucy summoned Cancer. "Cancer, I need you to dye my hair," Lucy said sheepishly, flinching when Cancer's jaw dropped to the floor and tears started pouring down his face.

"Why, baby? You're perfect as a blonde!" Cancer cried, finally shedding the cool demeanor he possessed in light of such devastating news.

Lucy smiled softly and said, "It's only for the next few days. I need to keep my identity a secret, and blonde hair tends to stand out."

"What about a wig then?" Cancer asked hopefully.

Lucy hummed in thought, then nodded with a grin. "That sounds ten times better!"

Cancer matched her grin and sat her down on a chair while he got to work. Only a few minutes later, Lucy looked like a completely different person with just the simple addition of a brown wig that was cut into a perfect little blowout—straightened bangs that ended at Lucy's chin and were parted down the center, and the rest of it only a couple inches long and spiked. "Perfect, baby," Cancer said when he led Lucy to the mirror in the bathroom. "You look nothing like yourself."

Lucy tilted her head to the side while she gaped at her reflection. She turned one way and then the other, just trying to figure out how Cancer was able to manage making such a short haircut look completely natural. "Wow," she mused, turning to her spirit with a huge grin. "It's perfect! You're so amazing, Cancer!"

"Any time, baby," Cancer answered, snipping his scissors in the air as he disappeared.

Lucy walked back into the room and looked at the piles of papers that were left strewn everywhere in some insane version of controlled chaos. With a sigh, she started sorting everything into one pile, clipping certain sections together so the groups she had created stayed intact, and then summoned Virgo to hold onto the papers and blueprints in the Spirit World until Lucy was ready to go through it all again. With only her keys, whip, and a notebook and pen, Lucy made her way out of the hotel room and out into the streets of Magnolia.

It was while she was sitting at a coffee shop only a block away from the building she was watching that Lucy encountered yet another member of Fairy Tail. Erza Scarlet. The red-haired mage had walked up to the store seemingly on a mission to buy several strawberry cakes, and from the bits and pieces of the conversation Lucy had heard, the woman's favorite bakery had experienced a fire in the middle of the night so they didn't have anything for sale. Lucy listened intently while she turned the page in her notebook and started making small sketches in case anyone took notice of what she was doing. The last thing Lucy needed was one of Fairy Tail's strongest mages to see her notes on all of the guild members that had walked past her in the last few hours.

There was a distinct clang and shift of metal as Erza Scarlet moved back towards where Lucy was, and her nerves started to fray while she waited to see what happened. Maybe she had still been too conspicuous, maybe Erza had noticed her interest in the guild hall. A heavily armored hand landed on Lucy's shoulder, and it took everything in her to keep herself as calm as possible on the outside while she turned around to meet the steely gaze of Titania. "Can I help you?" she asked innocently.

"I noticed you have a free seat," Erza said solemnly.

Lucy smiled softly and nodded, then motioned for the red-haired woman to sit down at the empty chair across from her. The coffee shop was, in fact, bustling with business and the only chair that wasn't occupied was the one across from Lucy. "Oh, by all means, please have a seat," she said sweetly.

Erza's face softened considerably when she saw that smile. The brunette in front of her had warm and caring eyes that reminded her of her own guildmates, and she was happy that she had made the effort to approach the woman and not scare her away like she normally would have. Erza knew that she could be harsh and domineering, but it wasn't for lack of trying on her part that she usually failed at allowing people to see the softer side of herself. She thankfully took the seat and the pair sat in silence for only a second before she heard.

"My name is Layla."

"Erza," she answered with another smile.

Lucy's eyes widened in mock shock as if she was putting the pieces together of who this woman was. "Erza?" she asked incredulously, "As in  _the_  Erza?"

Erza laughed and nodded. "The one and the same, I suppose." There was still no fear in her companion's eyes while they looked at one another. Erza saw her surprise, but it was the wide grin that spread across her face that threw the Requip mage off. The brunette in front of her was excited, but not as much as a huge fan would be, and Erza wasn't used to people grinning when they saw her or found out who she was unless she had just saved their lives.

"Wow," Lucy whispered. "I-I'm sorry, I must be staring…" She quickly looked away with a light blush, hoping that she was being convincing enough for the time being. "I've just read so much about you in Sorcerer's Weekly, and to think… Here you are. It's really an honor to meet you."

Erza chuckled and shook her head, finding it easier to laugh at the situation just from her proximity to this new acquaintance. "Thank you, Layla," she said kindly.

Lucy peeked up at Erza, biting her lower lip and blushing, then asked, "Would it… be too much trouble to get your autograph?"

"Not at all," Erza answered, looking down at the girl's hands to see a notebook and a pen being held tightly between them.

Lucy grinned and turned the page to a blank sheet, then handed Erza the pen and notebook and watched as she quickly signed the page before handing it back to Lucy. "Thank you so much!" Lucy gushed. She wasn't entirely sure what could be done with someone's signature, but Lucy knew that there were plenty of ways to go about ruining someone's livelihood if one knew how to go about doing it. After a few silent minutes, Lucy said, "Did you hear about that bakery that caught on fire last night?"

Erza sighed and nodded. "They make my favorite cake there."

"Oh, well I hope they'll be back up and running soon," Lucy said thoughtfully. "I haven't had a chance to try their strawberry cake yet."

Erza's eyes widened and a small smile spread across her face. "That is actually the cake I usually buy. They have the best in town."

Lucy leaned forward slightly and whispered, "Well, I can't wait until they're open again to try it. If anyone knows about cake, it'll be the strongest woman in Fairy Tail."

Erza blushed slightly and leaned in herself, caught up in the moment and willing to act more like a girl her age. "It's actually the second best in Fiore. The best is a little bakery in Oak Town."

"Really?" Lucy asked.

Erza nodded. "I usually only get strawberry cake, but occasionally I like to try other desserts. They have an almond-buttercream icing that is absolutely decadent."

Lucy's blush deepened dramatically when she recalled Gajeel saying he thought he had smelled her in a bakery in town.  _That's what he says I smell like…_  "I might have to try it out sometime," Lucy answered with a giggle. "But I think I'll stick to strawberry."

"A wise choice," Erza replied, turning towards the counter when she heard her number being called. "Ah, that will be my order." She turned back to her companion and said, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Layla."

"You too, Erza," Lucy said happily as the other woman stood up. She watched Erza walk over to the counter and pick up several cake boxes, then turn around to leave the shop.

Erza paused next to the sweet brunette she had been talking to, and leaned down to whisper, "I recommend the 'Death By Chocolate' bakery in Oak Town if you decide to visit. It's small, but they really are the best."

"Thanks," Lucy whispered back. Once Erza left the shop, Lucy sighed happily and went back to drawing in her notebook for the next half-hour while she waited for the stares of the patrons around her to die down. Apparently, holding a conversation with Titania and smiling the whole time was something that didn't happen too often.

* * *

Lucy spent the next five nights watching the Fairy Tail guild hall from various rooftops, and noticed just how loud they actually were. There were near constant brawls that could be heard from the street, and even more so when the doors opened to allow entry to another guild member. She noticed Team Shadow Gear walking towards the guild from the direction of the library, with the Jet and Droy carrying armloads of heavy books while Levy McGarden carried a much smaller stack and struggling to hold it. Lucy smirked and wrote down another note on Levy.  _Dangerously low physical strength._  A chill swept through the air, and Lucy huddled closer to the corner she was in, wrapping her coat more tightly around herself and pulling her black scarf up over her nose.

"Whatcha doin'?" asked a cheery and masculine voice from behind her.

Lucy's eyes widened in shock, her whole body freezing up for a moment. She quickly tucked the notebook into the inner pocket of her jacket along with her pen and slowly turned around to see a young man with pink hair crouching next to her and grinning like a little kid with a white scarf around his neck, an open gold-trimmed waistcoat that bared his chest, white pants, and black sandals. "Uh," Lucy muttered.

"Oh, are you playing ninja?" the pink-haired man asked.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him and said, "Who are you?"

He threw one hand behind his head and laughed. "I'm Natsu! What's your name, ninja?"

Lucy smiled beneath the black scarf that was still covering her nose. She lifted her hands and adjusted it so it was wrapping around her head until only her eyes were exposed, then brought a gloved finger to Natsu's mouth when he laughed again. "Shh," Lucy whispered. "Ninjas have to be quiet."

Natsu nodded and grinned deviously, wrapping his own scarf around his head while he moved closer to the figure he'd found. "So, what's your name?" he whispered conspiratorially.

Lucy smirked and glanced at him, then said, "You'll never know. Ninjas don't reveal their identities." She slowly crawled away from the edge of the building, moving back towards the shadows.

"What are you looking for then?" Natsu asked while he followed the scent of the person he' found. He knew it was a girl, and that she smelled like cake, but that was it. He couldn't tell what color her hair was, though it had looked black when he came up to the roof, and he knew her eyes were brown. Aside from that, she was a mystery.

Lucy giggled while she continued moving through the shadows. "I'm on a top secret mission," she taunted. "It's a ninja secret." She remembered what Gray had said about Natsu being dense, and she knew that this had to be the same guy for the simple fact that he fit the description she'd been given perfectly. She would play along with his little ninja game, and see what she could find before she lost him and continued watching the guild.

"Come on, I can keep a secret!" Natsu whined, grinning when the girl jumped across the gap between two buildings and started stealthily running up the slanted roof to perch at the top. He ran and jumped, landing only a few feet from her and laughed when she looked at him with wide eyes. "What's your ninja mission?"

Lucy grinned deviously beneath her scarf and silently slid down the other side of the roof to jump onto the next one, leading him further from the guild. She landed in a crouch and hid in the shadows again, then watched as Natsu slid down and jumped only to quickly crouch next to her expectantly. "You want to know my mission?" she asked, giggling when he nodded. "Are you a ninja too?"

Natsu nodded again.

Lucy crawled forward, forcing him to back up until he was pressed against a wall. She continued slinking forward, tilting her head to the side while she looked at him. Finally, she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "My mission…"

"Yeah?" Natsu asked.

"Is to tell you that Gray's looking for you." Lucy grinned while she pulled back to see confusion in his eyes. "He said, 'Tell that Flaming Idiot to meet me at the guild in an hour so I can kick his ass.'"

"That Ice Prick!" Natsu shouted.

Lucy giggled again and sat back on her heels. "You should go and get him. I bet he's already telling Elfman how you're chickening out."

Natsu grinned and shouted, "I'm all fired up!" He jumped to his feet, his fists flaming as he started to run off. Natsu stopped just as he got to the edge of the roof and turned back. "Hey, you never told me…" He frowned when he saw that the girl he'd been following had disappeared. "… Your name," he whispered.

Lucy listened to Natsu turn around and jump onto the next roof. She slowly lifted herself back up from the edge of the building once he was gone and peeked over to see that he was already running along the next rooftop back towards the guild. With a sigh, Lucy dropped down to the fire escape and slowly walked down the stairs until she reached a window that was cracked open. After looking around for a minute to make sure no one saw her, Lucy opened it the rest of the way and snuck inside, then locked it behind her and closed the drapes. She walked through the darkened room and turned on a single light, then sighed as she sat down on the edge of her hotel bed for the night. It was her last night in Magnolia, and Lucy honestly had only stayed the past few days because she was ordered to be back in a week and not a few days. Crux had done most of the work for her when it came to finding out what Master Jose had wanted to know, but Lucy took it upon herself to learn as much as she could about the weaknesses of their enemies to help her Master out. Just one more night, and she would get to be back in her own bed—or maybe a certain Iron Slayer's—and perfectly relaxed again.

* * *

_She rushed through the forest, her bare feet catching in roots and small tangles of vines along the way and slowing her down. Lucy's pursuers were gaining quickly, and she knew there was no way for her to outrun them. She never could. She was fully aware that this was a nightmare, and remembered the abuse she'd endured from each previous dream as though it had only just happened. Fear seeped into her, slowly chilling her to the core, when she saw the fork in the path. That was where it always happened. Lucy fought to slow her movements, to stop herself from being subjected to the same torture again. She couldn't go through it again. She needed that beacon that seemed to send the nightmares away, but she couldn't remember what it was._

_Lucy stumbled, catching herself on a log and crying out when a piece of wood jutting from the side ripped into her arm when she tore away from it. She was still running from them. The three men that would beat and use her until she woke up from this hell. Sometimes, she wouldn't wake up before they were finished, and had to live through each turn they took while she was pinned to the ground. Eventually, they would leave her in the forest, slowly dying from blood loss; on those nights, she would fade into blackness, and wake up only just before she lost all sight of the dream world around her._

_"Well, well, well," the first man growled, his voice sounding just behind her and his whiskey and cigarette breath dancing over her skin._

_Lucy shrieked and pushed herself faster to get away from him, ignoring the throbbing pain in her arm as her blood slowly flowed from it. With every ounce of energy she possessed, Lucy forced herself to veer off of the path and into the unknown forest to her right. It was the first time she had managed to change the dream, and hope bloomed in her chest that she would escape them this time. "Help!" Lucy shouted into the barely illuminated trees while the rain poured down onto her. "Please, somebody!"_

_"Another blonde? Can't we ever find something more… exotic?"_

_Lucy whimpered, her breathing labored and ragged when the olive-skinned man's voice sounded off to her left. A familiar path appeared in front of her, leading up the side of a mountain, and Lucy put on a burst of speed, falling only once from the steep incline. Step after step, and finally a flickering light came into view in the mouth of a cave._

_"Can we keep her?"_

_Lucy shrieked in terror when the three men were standing just inside of the cave, leering at her as they slowly moved forward. She didn't know what to do. Her feet were planted in place while they advanced on her. Suddenly, she was surrounded and knocked to the ground with a blow to her back. Pain shot through her whole body, and she found herself curling on her side and protecting her face as best as she could. A kick to her spine caused a sickening crack and Lucy screamed when pressure started building where the blow landed. Another kick and another. All to the same spot, and her vision started to spot with red. Lucy was rolled onto her back, her clothes torn from her body in one swift motion. Her left leg had gone completely numb, and when she tried to kick with her right she found it was like pushing through quicksand. "Please, don't do this!"_

_"Looks like I get the first taste."_

_"Please!" Lucy shouted when the first man knelt between her legs. "Please, go away! Leave me alone!"_

_The man grinned and lowered his mouth to her neck, roughly sucking the skin between his lips. "Well, well, well."_

_"Don't do this! Please, please don't—" Lucy's words were cut short by a boot to the side of her head, and she felt a trickle of blood sliding slowly down her forehead. The man's legs brushed against her inner thighs as he lined himself up at her entrance, and bile started to rise in her throat._

~.~

"NO!" Lucy screeched as she sat up in bed, tears streaming down her cheeks and causing her loose hair to stick to her face. She quickly swiped her hands over her body, kicking the blanket off of herself and falling onto the floor from the bed. She looked around the dark, unfamiliar room and started panicking, her chest tightening painfully while she struggled to find her breath.

A brilliant flash of golden light filled the small hotel room, and Virgo quickly knelt down and pulled the sobbing girl into her arms. "Hush, Princess," she said softly, gently stroking Lucy's hair. "I'm here. You're safe."

"V-Virgo!" Lucy cried, wrapping her arms tightly around the Maid Spirit's waist and openly sobbing into her clothes. "I w-was… I…"

"I know, Princess," Virgo whispered. "Everything will be fine." She, along with Lucy's nine other spirits, had felt her distress before waking and they all knew that it was from the night she was attacked. Every time Lucy had woken up from a nightmare, Virgo had been prepared to open her gate and assist her; however, the presence of the Iron Dragon Slayer had seemed to calm Lucy down immensely, and eventually she had resorted to sleeping next to him every night to keep them away. The nightmares didn't normally happen while she was in a building, only when there were noises from the woods around her, and Virgo was curious why she had one the night before she returned from her mission.

"I'm so scared, V-Virgo," Lucy whimpered, wishing she could force the fear from her body.

"I may know of something that will help," Virgo offered, "Would you like my assistance, Princess?" When Lucy nodded, but squeezed Virgo when she tried to pull away, Virgo squeezed right back and stood up with Lucy. "Sit down on the bed, and I will fetch it."

Lucy took a deep breath and nodded, then pried her arms away from the comfort of Virgo's embrace and curled her knees to her chest while she sat down. She watched Virgo walk out of the room into the adjoining bathroom and turn on the lights. Lucy squinted and blinked repeatedly, hoping her vision would return to normal from the blinding light of the room.

Virgo pulled the small lacrima from the bottom of Lucy's bag. The young blonde had bought it just before this mission so that she could call her guild master in the event of an emergency. While this wasn't necessarily an emergency that the sadistic guild master would care about, Virgo still made a call. It didn't take long for the familiar face to appear on the screen, scowling and sleepy at first until recognition hit. "She needs to see you," Virgo said gently. After a swift nod, Virgo carried the tiny orb back into the room to see Lucy rubbing her eyes and curled up under the covers. "Here, Princess. Please call for me if you need anything else."

Lucy felt something placed in her hands and registered the faint tinge of magic in the air as Virgo disappeared.

"What happened, Bunny?"

Lucy's eyes shot open to look at the small lacrima. There on the screen was the one face she didn't think she would see. "G-Gajeel?" Lucy whispered, sniffling and trying to wipe away her tears. "Why—"

"Virgo said you needed to see me," Gajeel said, raising an eyebrow at her. "Talk to me."

"N-Nothing. It's nothing," Lucy sighed. "She shouldn't have called. G-Go back to bed…"

"Bunny, if you don't start talking you're gonna see my ass beating the door down in the morning," Gajeel warned with a growl. "What. Happened."

Lucy tried to scowl at him, but she couldn't hold onto her anger. She felt the small tremble in her lip carry through to the rest of her body, and a single whimper crept up her throat when she recalled her nightmare. "I…" She stopped and took a shaky breath, trying to will the thickness in her throat to disappear so she could speak.

"Was it a nightmare?" Gajeel asked gently, watching her practically falling apart at the seams.

Lucy nodded. "I-I thought I got away… And, I found the c-cave. But, you weren't th-there. And then… Then they…" She broke down again, burying her face in the pillow and sobbing until she was hoarse.

"Look at me," Gajeel said after several long minutes of being forced to watch Lucy cry. "Come on, Bunny."

Lucy sniffled again and again, roughly wiping her tears away before she could even bring herself to glance at the lacrima. "I'm s-sor—"

"Shh. Nothing to be sorry for," Gajeel said. "Go turn off the lights and lay back down."

"What?"

Gajeel smirked and nodded. "Go on, I'm not going anywhere."

Lucy frowned and sat up in the bed. She carefully got up, carrying the lacrima with her, and shut off all of the lights in the room before returning to the bed and crawling back under the covers. "Now what?" Lucy asked weakly.

"Now, get your ass comfy so we can go back to sleep," Gajeel answered with a yawn.

"Huh? Gajeel, there's no way—"

"What made your nightmares stop in the woods?" Gajeel asked.

"Sleeping next to you…"

"There's your answer. Leave the lacrima on. Hold it, put it on a nightstand, whatever. I'll be right here the whole time," Gajeel said with another smirk.

Lucy frowned and shook her head. "This seems silly, Gajeel…"

Gajeel shrugged and said, "See if it works. Go on, close your eyes." He rolled over on his side in bed and held the lacrima on his pillow. "I'll keep an eye on you until you're asleep."

"What about after?" Lucy whispered, mimicking what he'd done by rolling onto her side.

"I'll put the lacrima on the nightstand. If you wake up, you'll see me right there. And you can wake me up if you need to."

"But—"

"Bunny," Gajeel said firmly. "What did I tell you about me being a selfish bastard when it comes to my sleep? Close your goddamn eyes. I'm not going anywhere."

Lucy glared at him for a moment, then sighed. "Prick," she grumbled while her eyes slid closed.

"Fucking right I am," Gajeel said proudly, watching a small smirk curl up one corner of Lucy's mouth. "If you need me to help you sleep, I will… okay? Besides, you'll be back tomorrow."

Lucy nodded and sighed. Her eyes slid open to look into the deep crimson gaze that was watching over her. "Goodnight, Gajeel," she whispered gratefully.

"Night, Bunny."

* * *

Lucy's eyes cracked open to glare venomously at the small sliver of light that was peeking through the drapes in the early hours of the morning. She stretched, felt all of her vertebrae realign with the most glorious series of small pops, and sighed contentedly before she noticed a small weight on her hand. After rubbing her eyes, Lucy looked over to see that her lacrima was still connected to Gajeel's, and she smiled at the image of him completely passed out on his bed. She'd come to realize that when she wasn't there for him to cuddle with, he slept on his stomach with his face buried in the pillows, and that morning was no different. Gajeel's hair was as wild as always, and there were a few strands lying over his shoulders. "Gajeel," Lucy said softly, unsure if she should even wake him up to let him know she'd slept through the night with his help.

"What is it, Bunny?" Gajeel grumbled, turning onto his side and keeping his eyes closed.

"Thank you for last night." Lucy smiled at the tired eyes that slowly opened to peer back at her.

"Sure, Bunny," Gajeel yawned, rubbing his eyes so he could get a better look at the blonde on the lacrima that he'd set on his nightstand. "You sleep okay?"

Lucy nodded happily. "I guess it wasn't so silly after all."

"Nah," Gajeel smirked, "More like your nightmares are too afraid of a big bad Dragon Slayer."

"Oh, who might that be?" Lucy teased, giggling when Gajeel glared at her. "Okay, Gajeel. You're  _very_ scary," she teased, pouting slightly and pushing her eyebrows together.

"I'm gonna whip your ass in the middle of the guild if you keep this shit up."

"Oh, who's the pervy bitch now?" Lucy laughed. "Weren't you making fun of me for spanking you? And now you want to add whips to the mix."

"Goddamnit, woman," Gajeel grumbled, picking up the small alarm clock on his nightstand and sighing when he saw the time. "Do you have any clue what time it is?"

"Nope," Lucy said softly, smiling when he glared at her again.

"It's not even seven. How the fuck do you wake up this early all the damn time?"

Lucy shrugged. "I've always been an early riser, Gajeel. I get more done that way." She paused for a moment and watched Gajeel rub his eyes again while he tried to stay awake, and shook her head. "Go back to sleep, Gajeel. I'll see you at the guild later on today, okay?"

"Alright, Bunny. What time?"

"I'm not sure. I'll have to find out what time the train leaves."

"Mmkay," Gajeel mumbled. "See you then."

Lucy giggled and shook her head while she watched him almost instantly fall asleep again. "See you, silly Dragon," she whispered just before cutting off the lacrima. Lucy sighed and got out of the bed, deciding to take a shower and just start her day right then.

Once she was finished in the shower, Lucy figured she would play it safe and have Cancer give her one more new look that she could get rid of once she was safely back at the guild.

"What color today, baby?" Cancer asked once he appeared.

Lucy grinned and said, "How about red?"

Cancer's smile widened and he nodded. After only a few short minutes, he'd secured Lucy's red wig in place and applied a little bit of makeup to round out her look. The wig itself was a deep wine-colored red with several black streaks all throughout it to give it a slightly darker quality, and fell in soft curls down to Lucy's mid-back.

Once Lucy's hair was done, she turned around and told Cancer that she was heading back to the guild today, so she wouldn't need the makeup to cover her guild mark. Luckily, the only marks that were left from Gajeel were the two bite marks—though the scabs had finally fallen off during the week, so she was left with bite-shaped scars on her neck and shoulder for the time being. She put on a black long-sleeve off the shoulder crop top that showed off her guild mark, and paired it with a pair of dark red short-shorts and her knee-high combat boots. Once Lucy was ready, she made her way through Magnolia towards the train station after giving Virgo her bag.

Because she was now officially representing Phantom Lord, and showing her guild mark with pride, Lucy's face was held in an indifferent mask while she walked through town, and she only let it fall once when she thanked the man at the small kiosk just before she reached the station when she bought a bagel for breakfast. After buying her ticket, Lucy sat down at a bench and waited for the train to arrive, simply eating her bagel and watching the people walk by.

Oddly enough, Lucy was able to get on the train and find a compartment all to herself. She sighed as it pulled away from the station and watched the scenery go by in a blur while she thought about what she'd been able to accomplish that week. She couldn't understand why she had been worried in the first place about the mission, since she  _had_  been training with Gajeel for a little over a month before Master Jose had sent her out. She was stronger, smarter, more adaptable to situations, and definitely lighter on her feet. Gajeel had done an amazing job of teaching her everything she needed to learn in such a short amount of time, and she couldn't help but wonder why Master Jose had wanted to test her in the first place. While she didn't want to believe that he had some ulterior motive, that he just wanted to make sure she was able to handle herself properly now that she'd gone through intensive training with the ornery Dragon Slayer and survived, the pieces just didn't add up. It wasn't her job to try and figure out why he wanted information on Fairy Tail's guild hall and wasn't too worried about the members themselves, and Lucy finally told herself that if he wanted her to know, then he would tell her. Otherwise, she needed to trust her guild master's decisions and follow orders.

* * *

Lucy stepped off of the train in Oak Town and breathed a sigh of relief. She was home, and damn did it feel good to have finished her first direct mission from Master Jose. She walked through town, suppressing the sweet smile that wanted to spread across her face, and made her way to the guild hall. A frown found its way onto her face when she heard jeers and yelling much louder than normal at this time of day from the closed doors of the hall, and a sour feeling settled itself in her stomach just before she pushed the doors open.

The sight that greeted her had Lucy's blood boiling. The body of a twelve-year-old boy was lying in the middle of the guild hall, his black hair covering his face and a small pool of blood pooling just under his head. The other members of the guild were cheering his abuser on from their tables, the uproar they caused almost drowning out each of the garbled cries he let out. Finally, the boy's attacker came into view, and Lucy snapped once she saw the studded eyebrows, malevolent grin, and ruby eyes. She stormed inside just as Gajeel lifted the boy up by his throat, much the same way he had done with Lucy upon their meeting. When Gajeel's arm pulled back to punch the boy, Lucy sent her whip flying and wrapping around his wrist. She pulled back with everything she had while he tried to continue sending his fist forward, and Lucy found that she was barely able to restrain him. "What the fuck?!" she shouted.

Gajeel growled and looked down at the whip that was wrapped around his wrist. Only one woman he knew would be so loud, stop him from beating up a kid, and smelled so damn delicious. "Stay out of it," he ground out, shaking her whip off of his wrist before pulling his hand back again.

"Leave him alone, Gajeel," Lucy warned, snapping her whip to the side. When she saw Gajeel snarl, still ignoring her, Lucy lashed out at him and caught the side of his face with her whip. A sadistic giggle crept out of her when she saw the angry split in his skin, and when he turned to look at her Lucy used his momentary distraction while he took in her appearance to rush at him. "Lucy kick!" she shouted, sending her foot straight up into the bottom of his chin.

Gajeel dropped the little shit he'd been beating once her iron-toed boot hit his chin, then took a step back. He heard the small whimper of the boy, and growled when a red-headed Lucy stood between him and the little fucker. "Move," he growled.

Lucy sneered at Gajeel and said, "No. You're not beating up a little kid while I'm here, and if you try it again I'll make sure you regret it."

"Really?" Gajeel snarled. "And what are you gonna do, you stupid bitch?"

"Rip out your teeth and force you to eat a bag of bloody pus-filled dicks," Lucy seethed while she pulled her wig off and fixed her blonde hair so it fell over her shoulders. "Leave. Him. Alone. If you want someone to hit, then hit me."

Gajeel grinned maliciously and said, "More than happy to oblige, Bunny Girl." He lifted his fist and watched Lucy for a reaction of any kind. All she did was stand there and glare at him. She didn't even look like she was going to fight back. He sent his fist flying, and just before he connected with her face he heard Master Jose call him off.

Gajeel's fist stopped barely a hairsbreadth from hitting the cheek he'd already broken, but Lucy didn't move. She was more than willing to take a beating from Gajeel to stop him from hitting the boy that was still whimpering in pain behind her. When Gajeel snarled again and glanced up at the balcony, Lucy didn't avert her gaze from him. She waited until he bristled with agitation before taking a step back and sitting down at his metal-covered table. Lucy rolled her eyes and turned around to see the boy still curled up on the ground. She slowly knelt down next to him, placing her hand gently on his shoulder and watching him flinch. "It's okay," she whispered while she pushed his hair out of his face, "Come with me, and we'll get you bandaged up."

Jose watched from the balcony as Lucy helped the young member of the guild up to his feet, glaring at Gajeel once more before she took him back towards the barely used infirmary in the guild. It had been interesting to see her with red hair instead of blonde, but the view of her guild mark along with how she acted towards Gajeel let him know just who Lucy was. While Jose would have loved nothing more than to drag her away from the young boy and get details on her mission, he was willing to wait. He could be very patient when he wanted to be. Luckily, Gajeel still listened and backed down as soon as Jose had given him the word, which showed him that the pair hadn't been lying before when they told him that they hated one another. He could see it in every pore of the both of them, heard it in the sadistic threat Lucy had issued, the way Gajeel had snarled. What caught Jose by surprise was that Lucy would stand up for the boy in the first place. While it was unexpected, any trust built between the two could come in handy in the future because it would tie her loyalties to the guild even more.

"Alright, come sit down right here," Lucy said gently as she helped the boy limp into the infirmary. They slowly made their way to a bed and Lucy practically lifted him onto it. "Can you tell me your name?" she asked while she tilted the boy's head up to look into his eyes. Her eyes widened in shock when she finally saw his face. He had definitely been beaten by Gajeel—she knew firsthand what his fists could do—and there was proof in how swollen his cheek was, the set of his nose, the split in his lip, and the blood that dripped down from his forehead. The condition he was in was no surprise. No, what was surprising to Lucy was that his eyes were identical to Gajeel's: ruby red with slitted pupils.

The boy stayed silent and looked at the blonde woman. She was really pretty, and her eyes told him a lot about the kind of person she was inside. He'd never known anyone to stand up to his idol the way she had, and she hadn't even been hit for doing something so brash in front of their guild mates. She had stopped Gajeel from hurting him any more than he already had. How had she managed to come away from it unscathed? Why did Gajeel choose to speak with her instead of hitting her, even after her whip hit his face? He couldn't understand how this woman was able to go from threatening his idol to smiling while she took care of the injuries on his face.

"It's okay," Lucy whispered, "You don't have to tell me right now. But, my name is Lucy." She slowly pushed his hair away from his eyes and said, "Okay, this is probably going to be painful, but I have to check for broken bones, alright?"

The boy nodded.

Lucy sighed when she saw that his nose was starting to swell up. "Your nose is broken. We need to set it first before it swells up too much."

The boy pushed his eyebrows together slightly. He didn't know how to go about doing something like that, but Lucy had said 'we' as if he was going to help.

Lucy giggled and said, "Don't worry, I'll teach you." She turned to the side and singled out Virgo's key, then quickly summoned her.

Virgo appeared in a low bow and said, "Punishment, Princess?"

The boy's eyes widened when he saw Lucy's magic. It was strange to see something like a key that was used for magic, and stranger still when a pink-haired maid appeared in a flash of golden light that hurt his eyes. He watched Lucy interact with the woman named Virgo, how she dismissed the question of giving punishment, asked for medical supplies for his wounds, and then how Virgo disappeared in a faint puff of glittering sparkles only to reappear less than a minute later with her arms laden with supplies.

"Thank you, Virgo," Lucy said sweetly. "Please stand guard outside of the door. I don't want anyone in here, except for Master Jose."

"Of course, Princess," Virgo said with another bow before walking out of the infirmary.

Lucy grabbed a rag and placed it in the boy's hands while he looked up at her. "Don't worry," she said as she put a hand on the back of his head and leaned him forward slightly. "Blow your nose in the rag to get rid of the excess blood."

He brought the rag to his nose and blew it lightly.

Lucy smiled encouragingly and said, "A little harder." When he blew his nose more forcefully, she pulled the rag away and wiped any extra blood from his mouth, then showed him how to position his hands to set his nose on his own. He looked worriedly at her, and Lucy ran her fingers through his hair while she asked, "Would you like me to help you with it?"

The boy nodded timidly while he looked up at Lucy. He felt her warm and dainty hands placed over his on his nose, and took a deep breath in through his mouth and closed his eyes just as she instructed. The pressure was almost unbearable, the pain spearing through him and causing him to feel nauseous in an instant. There was a small pop as she pulled his hands down, and when she pulled away the boy felt a wave of dizziness crash through him.

"Whoa," Lucy said while she caught the wobbling boy. She cradled him in one arm and pulled him to her chest while she sat down on the bed. Once she was settled, Lucy wiped away the blood on his face with a moistened rag.

"You smell nice," he whispered, his eyes closing while she cleaned him up.

Lucy giggled and said, "So I've been told. Tell me, what do I smell like to you?"

"Like cake," the boy answered with a small pained smile. "I've never smelled someone as sweet as you before. It's nice." He winced when she started prodding at his cheeks and jaw, feeling the bruises already starting to form.

"He only broke your nose," Lucy said softly while she smoothed the boy's hair away from his face again. "You're lucky. He broke my nose and cheek that first time he kicked my ass."

"He did?" the boy asked incredulously, pulling away just enough to look up into the warm chocolate eyes that were looking back at him. He didn't want to move too far away from the hand that was rubbing light soothing circles on his back and shoulders, even if it was slightly painful from the bruises that Gajeel had left there as well.

Lucy smiled and nodded, then lifted her hand to point to the small scars on her cheek and nose. "I tried to stop him from pummeling a mountain, and we got into a fight. Eventually, he pinned me and started choking me, then punched me with the other hand."

"How did you stop him?" the boy asked incredulously.

Lucy giggled and whispered, "I pulled his hair and kicked him in the nuts." She giggled again when the boy winced, then added, "I caught my breath first, so I pinned him to the ground."

"Did you kick his ass afterwards?"

Lucy shook her head and said, "No, I bandaged up his hands and then fixed my nose after I found out why he was angry. Turns out I'd pissed him off."

"You must be a really nice person," the boy mumbled sheepishly. He looked back up at Lucy when she laughed lightly and wondered why she was laughing.

"I can be nice when I want to be," she said softly. "But, around here I'm the biggest bitch of them all."

"Is that why they told me not to sit in that stool at the bar?" he asked with wide eyes.

Lucy nodded. "I always sit in the same spot, but you're welcome to sit next to me sometime. No one ever does." When a small smile turned up the corners of his mouth, Lucy said, "Are you feeling less dizzy now? I still need to bandage you up."

The boy nodded and hid his disappointment when she pulled away and stood back up. He'd enjoyed feeling an arm wrapped around him so comfortingly, how comfortable he had been while she let him rest his head against her chest, and she really did smell nice. "Is it perfume?" he asked softly when she started cleaning his wounds with alcohol.

"I don't wear perfume," Lucy answered. "That's just how I smell."

"Oh."

"Do you want to tell me why he was beating you up?" Lucy asked as she put the antiseptic ointment on his cuts.

The boy winced and shook his head.

"Did you talk to him while he was eating?" When the boy looked away guiltily, Lucy smiled and said, "It's okay, everyone makes that mistake at some point. No one ever warns them not to do it."

"Why?" he asked sadly.

"Because this guild doesn't look out for one another," Lucy answered. "Everyone for themselves. The top priority is to get the job done."

He nodded and sighed. "That's what Master told me, too." He looked up at the blonde woman and asked, "Why are you helping me then?"

Lucy smiled down at him, cupping his cheeks in her hands and said, "Because sometimes all you need is just one person to help you when you need it the most. You're still young, and it's a hard world that we live in. The guild might not believe in helping each other out, but I can't stand seeing people suffer when there's something I can do to help."

The boy looked at her for a long moment, absorbing the warmth that her hands provided on his sore face. She was so sweet to him, gentle and caring in a way he could hardly remember having known before. He knew it was there, somewhere in his past he'd had a parent that cared for him, but that seemed like so long ago that it was just a distant memory. "Ryos," he whispered.

"Hm?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to the side.

"My name," he said. "It's Ryos."

Lucy beamed at him, and saw his small answering smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ryos," she said. After a moment, Lucy frowned and asked, "Did he hit you anywhere else? Aside from your face?"

Ryos grimaced and looked down at the floor, then slowly nodded while his hair shadowed his face.

"Hey," Lucy said softly, carefully lifting his chin so he would meet her gaze. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, alright?"

Ryos nodded again.

"Where else did he hit you?" Lucy asked. She watched as Ryos lifted his grey shirt over his head, and Lucy gasped when she saw what was left in Gajeel's wake on the boy's torso. Ryos was a little thinner than he really should be, but Lucy was able to actually  _see_  where several of his ribs were broken and pushing against his skin at an odd angle. The skin all along his sides was already badly bruised, turning darker by the minute. Lucy slowly walked around to the other side of the bed to look at his back and felt her anger boiling inside of her again. Several large bruises were on his back, though none were too close to his spine. She reached a hand out and sighed when he flinched as soon as she touched him. "It's okay," she said, "I'm checking your spine."

Ryos nodded and forced himself to relax. He could smell her anger rising while she took in each of the marks Gajeel had left on him, and it was endearing that she would actually get upset over his attack. Ryos had always thought that Gajeel was an amazing mage, and he knew that he always wanted to join Phantom Lord in the hopes that Gajeel would teach him how to be stronger. He never thought that his first time—or any of the other hundred times—getting up the courage to talk with Gajeel would end up this way, but Ryos knew that the man was anti-social and prone to violence. He would just have to be stronger for the next time he spoke with Gajeel. Just like every other time.

"Ryos?" Lucy asked gently, "How long have you been in the guild?"

Ryos sighed and said, "Almost a year now."

"Why have I never seen you before?"

"Because I hide most of the time," he answered while she walked back around the bed to stand in front of him. "No one notices me, and I try to keep it that way."

Lucy frowned and tilted her head to the side. "If you've been in the guild longer than I have, then why did you not know who I was? Or not to talk to Gajeel while he's eating?"

Ryos flinched and looked down at the floor again. "Well…" he mumbled.

Lucy crossed her arms under her chest and said, "You lied to me." She saw him flinch again, curling in on himself slightly in his embarrassment. "I don't like when people lie to me, Ryos. I want to be able to trust you, but that can't happen if you don't tell me the truth."

"I'm… I'm sorry," he said while he forced himself to meet her hardened gaze. "Please don't be mad at me…"

Lucy sighed and sat down on the bed next to the boy after she walked to the door and called Virgo inside the room. She needed her spirit to check Ryos' ribs and make sure a simple wrapping job would suffice. "Why did you lie?" she asked gently.

"Because, I thought you wouldn't be nice if you knew I've been here long enough to know the rules," he answered timidly. He wanted to curl up into a little ball and ignore the pain from his ribs and the pang of guilt he felt when he saw how sad Lucy looked. The only problem was that Virgo had already started wrapping his ribs to help them heal properly, so all Ryos could do was sit completely still.

"So, you know who I am?" she asked.

"Yes," Ryos said. "Your name is Lucy, but everyone in the guild calls you 'The Bitch' when you're not around. Gajeel calls you 'Bunny Girl' but I don't know why. You order a strawberry smoothie every day, and scared Tom before you even joined the guild. You're the only one that stands up to Gajeel. You came back from your first mission practically naked and covered in rain and dirt. You've been in the guild for four months. You and Gajeel went on a mission for over a month, then you left the next day on what I'm assuming was another mission and you came back today."

"Did you really try talking to Gajeel while he was eating?" Lucy asked.

Ryos nodded. "I wanted him to teach me how to be stronger like him," he answered sadly. "Master Jose said I should just try talking to him again when he was back from his mission with you, and I was too scared to do it until today. I should have waited until he wasn't busy."

"What do you mean 'again'?" Lucy asked, furrowing her brow at the boy.

"It happens all the time," he answered softly. "Every time I ask him the same thing, and he beats me up. I hoped he would be nicer since… Since I'm like him."

Lucy frowned and looked up at Virgo who had just finished wrapping Ryos' ribs and started checking his legs for any other injuries. She watched Virgo take off one of his shoes and saw his ankle was swollen and purple. "So, he's done this before?" she finally asked, looking back up at the boy while he put his shirt back on.

Ryos winced when Virgo started poking at his swollen ankle, but he nodded in answer to Lucy's question regardless of the pain.

"Why did you think I wouldn't be nice to you if I knew you were already in the guild?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know," Ryos said automatically.

"Ryos," Lucy warned.

He sighed and wished he could disappear right then, just slip into the shadows like he normally did when he avoided confrontations. He couldn't though—Lucy and Virgo were trying to help him, and Skiadrum had taught him to accept help when it was offered, and offer it in return. "I saw how you're not scared of Gajeel, and I thought you were just like him. I was afraid that you'd hurt me too."

"Princess would never hurt you," Virgo said solemnly while she finished wrapping the boy's ankle. "She has a short temper and tends to yell, but she would not stoop to hitting someone younger than her when they are no threat to her. She has a pure heart, and you would do well to remember that."

"Virgo," Lucy said softly, pushing her eyebrows together when Virgo glanced at her. Lucy turned to Ryos and sighed. "She's right. I won't hurt you when you're not a threat to me, and especially not when you need my help. I'm sorry you've been afraid of me all this time, Ryos. It must have been lonely for you in this guild."

Ryos nodded and glanced at Lucy through his hair. "It's okay. I joined so I could meet Gajeel anyway."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock. "Really?"

Ryos nodded again.

After a silent minute, Lucy said, "Virgo, head back for now. I'll summon you when I'm meeting with Master." Once Virgo disappeared, Lucy looked at Ryos and shook her head. The boy looked so defeated right then, as if there wasn't a thing in the world that could make him feel better. Lucy knew she needed to meet with Master Jose, but she wasn't willing to part with Ryos just then. Not when he really needed to have someone by his side. Lucy moved so she was sitting with her back leaning against the headboard, and smiled when Ryos looked questioningly at her. She opened her arms and said, "Come here, you look like you could use a hug."

Ryos moved slowly over to where Lucy was, partly from the pain he was in and partly from his lack of trust in pretty much everyone around him. He carefully moved into her embrace, laying his head on her collar bone and closing his eyes when her arms wrapped around him lightly. He cautiously moved his hand so that his arm wrapped around her bare waist, and waited for her to push him away.

"You don't have to feel lonely, Ryos," Lucy whispered, sifting her fingers through his hair. "I'll be your friend, okay?"

"You will?" he asked softly.

Lucy nodded and smiled when he glanced up at her. "No matter what happens in the future, or how long it is until we see each other again, I'll always be your friend."

"Are you planning on leaving?" he asked as he lowered his head to her chest again and closed his eyes.

"No, I'm not leaving," Lucy said softly, "But, life likes to throw all kinds of twists and turns our way, so there may come a time where we don't see each other for a while. Whether it's a long mission, or something else, you'll still have my friendship."

"How can we be friends if I never see you again?"

Lucy giggled and said, "Friendship doesn't necessarily mean you have to be right next to each other. It just means that there's someone out there that you care about, and cares about you in return. I'm friends with my Celestial Spirits, and they live in a whole other world. So, no matter where we go I'll be your friend. Will you be mine too?"

Ryos smiled and nodded squeezing her tightly and ignoring the pain that flared in his whole body from the action. "I'll be your friend too, Lucy," he whispered happily.

Lucy heard the smile in his voice, how happy he sounded from such a simple thing as friendship. In all honesty, she was just as happy over the whole thing. This boy, with eyes that matched Gajeel's and inky black hair, was her first real friend aside from her spirits. "You need to get some rest, Ryos," she said while her fingers kept running through his hair.

"Do you have to go?" he asked sadly. "You said you have a meeting with Master."

Lucy sighed and said, "How about I stay until you fall asleep? Then I'll come back after I'm finished with the meeting and we can have lunch."

Ryos grinned when he looked up at her. "You'd do that?" he asked hopefully.

Lucy giggled and nodded at him. "Of course. That's what friends are for! They take care of each other."

"That sounds like family," Ryos said softly while he and Lucy laid down on the bed. He watched her pull the blanket up and over both of them before she settled back against the bed and pulled him closer to her.

"I guess it is in a way," Lucy said softly, propping her head up on her hand while she looked down at Ryos. "The closer you are to your friends, the more they feel like your own family—brothers and sisters even though you're not blood-related. Maybe one day you'll be just like my little brother."

Ryos smiled again and looked up at the kind brown eyes of the blonde and said, "Do you have any family?"

Lucy's smile faltered and she shook her head sadly. "I have a dad, but we don't get along at all. I ran away from home because he was trying to force me to be miserable for the rest of my life."

"No one else?"

Lucy shook her head again. "My mom died a few years ago, and I was an only child. What about you?"

Ryos shook his head and looked away while he said, "No. I don't have a family at all. My dad got sick when I was still pretty little, and he died. I've been alone ever since."

Lucy frowned and leaned down to kiss the bandages running across Ryos' forehead. When he looked up at her in surprise with a blush on his cheeks, she smiled softly at him. "Well, I'm sure you and I will be just like siblings one day. Then we won't be alone anymore."

Ryos smiled up at Lucy and nodded, then yawned. "I'd like that."

"Go on and get some sleep," Lucy said. "Remember, I'll come back after my meeting."

"What if Gajeel comes in while you're gone?" he asked.

"Then you get away from him as fast as possible, and come get me," Lucy answered. "I'll protect you."

"Promise?" Ryos asked sleepily as he laid his head back down and nestled his nose against her collar bone, smiling when he smelled the sweet cake-like scent of the blonde woman.

"I promise," Lucy answered softly. She couldn't help but smile down at the boy while he drifted off to sleep, and the way he had nuzzled her was reminiscent of exactly what Gajeel did when she was lying in bed with him. Granted, Ryos' nose pressed against Lucy's collar bone did absolutely nothing for her except melt her heart. When Gajeel did it, a thrill ran through her that sent heat pooling low in her belly and her body clenching excitedly for what she knew was coming. Lucy brushed her fingers through Ryos' hair again and again while his breathing evened out completely, watching over him just as she said she would.

After thirty minutes, Lucy knew she needed to get out to meet with Master Jose. She was sure he was giving her time to tend to Ryos' wounds, but there was only so long that he would be willing to wait. Lucy carefully pulled herself from the boy's grasp, then leaned down and kissed his forehead once more and whispered, "I'll be back soon, Ryos." She watched him curl around the area she had been laying, nestling his nose in the pillow and sighing happily in his sleep, then held onto her keys while she silently made her way out of the infirmary. Her face dropped into a scowl when she entered the main hall and heard Gajeel crunching away at his metal. With renewed anger, Lucy marched over to him and crossed her arms under her chest while he studiously ignored her.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her and continued eating, wondering if she was itching for the beating Master Jose had denied him giving her earlier. It was common knowledge for everyone to leave him be while he was eating. Even the brat he'd beaten up  _again_  knew it, but it hadn't stopped the kid from trying to ask Gajeel to train him.

"I don't know what your problem is," Lucy said, her voice terrifyingly quiet, "But if I find so much as a misplaced hair on his head after my meeting, I'm  _going_  to kill you. That includes him 'miraculously' disappearing."

Gajeel rolled his eyes, then growled when she smacked him in the back of the head.

"I'm serious, Gajeel. Leave him alone."

"Am I fucking with him right now?" Gajeel asked. "I'm not wasting my time on some weak piece of shit. He's not bothering me, so I don't care.  _You_  on the other hand…"

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to make a move. "Go ahead. Try something. See what happens to you," she seethed.

"Tch. Go see Master, Bunny Girl," Gajeel grumbled, tilting his head towards the balcony. "Told me he's waiting for you."

Lucy sighed and nodded, sending one last glare at Gajeel before she turned around and made her way up the stairs. Once she reached the top, Lucy saw Master Jose waiting for her and she gave him the sweetest smile she could muster in spite of her agitation. "Hello, Master Jose," she said warmly.

"Lucy," Jose said with a warm smile and turning to walk back to his office with the blonde. "How is the boy?"

"He's resting right now. Broken nose, a few broken ribs, and a sprained ankle," Lucy said sadly. "He'll be alright."

"Thank you for tending his wounds, Lucy," Jose said. He slowly opened the door to his office and ushered the busty blonde inside. Once the door was closed, he strode over to his desk and took a seat, then motioned for Lucy to sit as well.

Lucy smiled and bowed, then quickly sat down in the chair and waited for Master Jose to speak.

"I assume the mission was successful?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes and no," Lucy answered. When he frowned and looked at her expectantly, Lucy sighed and said, "I had direct contact with four Fairy Tail mages."

"I said you needed to avoid them," Jose said solemnly.

"Yes, I know," Lucy answered. She kept eye contact with him while she continued. "The first two were on the train to Magnolia. It was completely packed, so I was forced to sit with them. We had already started talking by the time I found out they were Fairies, so it would have been suspicious for me to suddenly leave."

"And the others?"

"I was watching the guild from a coffee shop and Erza Scarlet sat at my table while she waited for her order. We talked about cake," Lucy answered. "She's under the impression that I'm a brunette named Layla. The last one was Natsu Dragneel. He found me on a roof while I was scouting the guild at night, but he was too dense to realize what I was doing. Since I was wearing all black and had wrapped my scarf over my face to keep warm, he thought I was playing a game. I used my knowledge of his rivalry with another guild mate to give him the slip."

Jose tilted his head to the side while he laced his fingers together. "Very well. It seems the circumstances were unavoidable," he said slowly. "What information did you find?"

Lucy grinned deviously and asked, "Would you like all of it or a summary?"

Jose raised an intrigued eyebrow and said, "Both."

Lucy stood up and summoned Virgo. In a flash of golden light, the maid appeared in a deep and respectful bow towards her Princess and the guild master. "Punishment, Princess?" she asked as she stood up.

Lucy smiled at the pink-haired spirit and said, "No, Virgo. No punishment. Could you please bring me all of the information that was gathered on Fairy Tail?"

"Of course, Princess," Virgo said with another bow before she disappeared.

Jose watched the spirit vanish, then looked at Lucy as she sat back down with a smirk. "Will she be gone long?" he asked.

"No, sir," Lucy said. "It won't be much longer."

As if on cue, Virgo reappeared with three large boxes in her hands, several rolls of blueprints, and a notebook tucked into her pocket. "Where would you like them, Princess?" she asked.

Lucy turned to look at Master Jose in question, and he pointed to the floor next to him. He watched Virgo walk over and carefully set everything down, then pull the notebook from her pocket and set it on his desk. She bowed to him once and walked back to stand next to Lucy. "Thank you, Virgo. You can go back now," Lucy said with a smile. She watched Virgo bow once more before disappearing, then turned to Master Jose. "I was able to find the information you requested, Master," Lucy said as Jose started flipping through the notebook. "That notebook is filled with time frames that I was observing the guild. They open at dawn and close some time after midnight. It appears to fluctuate depending on the day or the events of the day. Without more time there, I couldn't find a definitive answer."

"And these names?" Jose asked as he continued skimming through the highly detailed notations in the notebook.

"Those names are members of the guild," Lucy answered. "They—"

Jose put a hand up and sighed, then looked at Lucy. "I need you to bring Gajeel in here, Lucy," he said with a smile. "He will be taking a mission soon, and this information is pertinent for his success."

Lucy kept her face blank and nodded, then stood up and said, "I'll be right back, Master." She made her way out of the room and down the hall to the balcony. One glance told her that Gajeel wasn't at his table, so she walked down the stairs and through the back hall that led to the training grounds. Any time Gajeel wasn't eating, he was out back working on some form of training. On the way, she heard the Dragon Slayer's growling voice from behind the infirmary door, and anger shot through her while she rushed in to see him towering over Ryos.

"I-I'm sorry," Ryos whimpered, pushing himself further against the headboard and cowering from the irate Slayer in front of him. "I w-won't bother you again."

Gajeel growled, his mouth splitting into a grin that promised a world of pain. "How do I know you're not lying, brat?" he asked.

"I—"

"Gajeel!" Lucy shouted, running into the room to stand between Ryos and the Iron Slayer. "I thought I told you to stay the hell away from him!"

Gajeel sneered and clenched his fists. "It's not what you—"

"Really?!" Lucy screeched, taking a step forward and roughly poking Gajeel's chest, "Because it looks like you're about to eat him, you rusty piece of scrap metal!"

Gajeel snarled and grabbed her hand, then spun her around and pulled it up between her shoulder blades. His other hand shot up and roughly grasped her chin while he grinned darkly at the frightened boy on the bed. "What have I told you about poking me, Bunny Girl?" he ground out, pulling her arm just a little higher and chuckling when a small whimper of pain escaped her as he dislocated her shoulder completely.

Lucy ground her teeth to combat the pain that shot through her when her arm conveniently vacated its comfortable little socket. She glanced at Ryos and saw that he was visibly shaking in fear while he watched what was happening to her. "Let me go, Gajeel. You're scaring him," she seethed.

"Good," Gajeel drawled, chuckling again when the boy curled in on himself more. "He should be. Just like you."

Lucy snorted and rolled her eyes. "I've never been scared of you, Gajeel. Now let me go before I hurt you." When Gajeel laughed again, Lucy silently brought her foot up and kicked back towards his knee, then used her free arm that he hadn't thought to trap and elbowed him in the gut. His hand let go of her chin, and Lucy didn't even question herself before headbutting him. She stumbled forward and caught herself on the bed, shaking her head to get rid of the dizziness she felt.  _Every damn time!,_ she thought angrily.

"L-Lucy!" Ryos cried out, shuffling towards her in an attempt at helping her before Gajeel got to her first.

Lucy smiled at Ryos and winked, then whirled around just as Gajeel's hand dropped from his nose and he glared at her. "What are you doing in here, Gajeel?" she asked, still standing protectively in front of the frightened, injured boy on the bed and ignoring the pain in her shoulder.

Gajeel growled at her. "I trained you too fucking well, Bunny," he grumbled while he sat down on another bed.

Ryos gasped and looked at Lucy with wide eyes when she laughed and made her way over to Gajeel.  _He… trained her?_  It made sense that Gajeel had trained her if she was able to fend him off for even a minute, but Ryos had been trying to get the man to train him and had never succeeded.  _That's why she's willing to stand up to him,_  he realized,  _She knows how to defend herself because he taught her._ Ryos had a newfound respect for both of the older mages while he sat there in silence: Gajeel had taken on a student, so maybe it wasn't completely hopeless for Ryos to learn from the Slayer, and Lucy was proof of the fact that Gajeel's training was effective with how she caught him by surprise. He watched with rapt attention as Lucy picked up a clean washcloth and started wiping the blood from Gajeel's face. Ryos couldn't understand how she could go from fighting and yelling to being gentle and caring for the other man's wounds in an instant. He didn't know why Gajeel had suddenly backed off, or why he was letting Lucy take care of him, and he couldn't smell too much because of how much his nose had swelled already. At least Ryos could still smell Lucy's scent in the room.

Lucy smirked as Gajeel blew his nose and glared at her. "Looks like I broke one of your bones for a change," she taunted.

"Shut it," he grumbled, wincing when she placed her dainty fingers along the piercings in his nose and started to set it. He could see the pain she was hiding as clear as day in her eyes, and Gajeel knew that she was ignoring it so that she could help him. Just like every other time he had hurt her, Lucy ignored her own injuries to get rid of any pain she had caused him first.

"Oh, don't be a big baby," Lucy said, rolling her eyes when he cursed under his breath. She wiped away the excess blood once she was finished then cleaned up the small lash mark that was left on his cheek from when she'd arrived at the guild. "Do you want a splint for your nose, or are you too manly for that?"

"I'm good," Gajeel answered as he grabbed her hand and placed it on his shoulder. Once her hand was in place, he set one of his hands on her injured arm and the other on her opposite shoulder. She looked at him questioningly for only a moment, then smirked and quickly shifted her body so her shoulder popped back into place.

Lucy hissed in pain and tightly gripped Gajeel's shoulder, clenching her eyes shut and waiting for the worst of it to go away. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, the pain started to fade into a dull ache, and she was able to pull away. "Fuck that hurts," Lucy grumbled before turning and walking back over to sit next to Ryos on the other bed. "Come here," she whispered to the wide-eyed boy that was staring at her.

Ryos stared at her, then glanced at Gajeel to see that the older mage was also staring at Lucy. He pushed himself back towards the headboard, away from her, and lowered his head in the hopes that everyone would forget he was in the room.

"Ryos," Lucy said softly, pushing her eyebrows together in concern. She carefully moved up the bed to sit next to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "It's okay. You're safe."

Ryos wrapped his arms around his ribs in an attempt to keep some distance between himself and Lucy, quickly glancing at Gajeel through his hair to see a single pierced eyebrow raised while he watched the blonde woman. He wanted to be comforted by her, wanted it more than anything in that moment, but he could practically see it in the way Gajeel was staring at the two that Ryos needed to keep his distance from Lucy. Something about the situation was forcing his unrefined instincts to light up in warning, but he had no idea why. It didn't make sense for Gajeel's presence to make the boy uncomfortable around Lucy, especially since she was the one that had saved him from the older Slayer twice already. She was his friend, and all Ryos wanted was for her to help him feel less afraid.

"Well good job, Copper Crotch," Lucy sighed, glaring at the Slayer on the other bed. She turned back to Ryos and forced him to lift his head and look at her. Once their eyes met, she gave him a soft smile and brushed his hair from his face, then whispered, "I told you I'd protect you. Now come give me a hug so I know you're alright."

Ryos' eyebrows pushed together while he tried to hold himself back, but one look at the kindness in Lucy's eyes cracked his resolve. He fought it with everything he had, wanting to keep some sense of dignity in front of his idol—he didn't want the man to think he was a baby or too weak to be worth his time. Ryos felt Lucy's thumbs tracing over his cheeks while they looked at each other, and another crack appeared in that wall he'd been attempting to build. She patiently waited for him to do what she'd asked, and the tenderness Lucy was showing him that was so at odds with how fiercely she'd defended him from Gajeel before finally made that wall inside of the boy crumble. He took a shaky breath, his body trembling for only a moment, then whimpered. He saw the sadness in her eyes when that sound left him, but he couldn't stop himself. Finally, Ryos let his arms shoot out to wrap around her waist while he openly cried against her chest.

"It's okay, Ryos," Lucy whispered, wrapping her arms around him protectively and running her fingers through his hair over and over. She looked up to glare at Gajeel only to see his jaw dropped open in shock and his eyes wide. "This is your fault, Gajeel," she said sternly. "I told you to leave him alone."

"I… Shit, Bunny," Gajeel grumbled, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, 'shit' is right," Lucy shot back. "What the hell?"

"I was coming to explain shit to him," Gajeel answered.

"Explain what?" she asked.

"Can't tell y—"

"You had fucking  _better_  tell me, you son of a bitch!" Lucy shouted, sighing when Ryos flinched and squeezed her tightly. Her voice softened considerably while she looked at the mop of inky black hair, and Lucy whispered, "It's alright. No one's mad at you, okay?"

Ryos sniffled and nodded, but kept his eyes closed while he took in her scent. He was still sobbing like a baby, but he didn't care who saw him. He'd been alone and frightened almost his entire life, and this was the first time that he'd had anyone truly comfort him since he'd lost Skiadrum.

Lucy looked back up at Gajeel and said, "Master said you needed to be in the meeting, so I was coming to get you. You've got some  _serious_  explaining to do about all this shit."

Gajeel sneered at her, knowing that there really wasn't much he could do about it. Lucy tended to keep good on threats—even if her retribution for some past wrong wasn't as vivid as she threatened, she would still find some way to punish him—and if Master needed to see them both then he couldn't waste time arguing with her. "Well, let's go."

Lucy frowned and looked down at Ryos, who had tensed when Gajeel mentioned leaving. She looked pleadingly up at Gajeel, hoping he could buy her a little time to calm the boy down.

"Oi, let her go brat," Gajeel said gruffly, smirking when Ryos quickly pulled away from Lucy and kept his head down while he roughly wiped the tears from his face. When he saw Lucy frowning at him, Gajeel sighed and strode over to the pair. He smacked Lucy in the back of the head when she moved in front of Ryos, and reached down to her keys. Faster than she could stop him, Gajeel pulled her key ring off of her and grabbed all five of the silver keys she had. "Call out Plue, have him stay here until you're done," he said as he pushed the keys back to Lucy.

Lucy smiled up at Gajeel and singled out Plue's key. She quickly summoned him and introduced him to Ryos, then turned to the still trembling boy and said, "Okay, Plue will keep you company until I'm done. If anyone bothers you in here, he can let me know and I'll be right back down. Is that alright?"

"It has to be," Gajeel added sternly, crossing his arms over his chest with a scowl. "If Master's waiting, he'll be pissed that we're taking so long."

Lucy sighed and nodded in agreement, then looked expectantly at Ryos. "Sound good?" she whispered.

Ryos nodded slowly, pulling Plue to his chest and letting a small smile curl his lips when he felt the little spirit trembling in his arms. "Will we still have lunch together?" he asked softly.

"Of course," Lucy said happily as she stood up from the bed. She leaned over and kissed the top of his head, giggling when she heard Gajeel growl softly by the door. "I'll bring back some food for us to eat. Try to get some more rest, Ryos."

He nodded again and looked up into Lucy's eyes. "Thank you, Lucy," he whispered.

"Any time, Ryos," she said with a smile before turning around and roughly pushing Gajeel out of the infirmary door.

"What the hell, Bunny?" Gajeel whispered while they walked back down the hallway.

"What?"

"Since when are you and the brat all buddy-buddy?" he grumbled.

Lucy smirked and glanced up at Gajeel. "Are you jealous?" she asked teasingly. When he narrowed his eyes at her, Lucy rolled hers in return. "I'll explain it later, Gajeel," she whispered just before they returned to the main guild. "For now, all you need to know is that my mission was a success, and what I found will apparently help on the mission Master is sending you on some time."

Gajeel nodded and sighed when they started walking up the stairs. "Later then," he said softly. "Glad you made it back okay."

Lucy smirked and lightly elbowed him just before they reached Master Jose's office. "Shitty little Fairies can't hurt me. I was trained by Black Steel Gajeel, remember?" she shot back just before opening the door.

"I see you've finally returned," Jose said with an amused smirk when he saw the slight swelling in Gajeel's nose.

Lucy smiled sweetly and stood in front of Master Jose, then bowed and took her previous seat when he waved her to it. "Sorry, Master," she said softly, "I had to have a little discussion with Gajeel about something."

Gajeel snorted and crossed his arms over his chest while he stood in his usual spot in front of Master Jose's desk.

"Something to add, Gajeel?" Jose asked.

"No, Master," Gajeel answered.

"Very well," Jose said with a smirk, lacing his fingers together and looking back at Lucy. "Please continue, Lucy."

"Right," Lucy said, taking a deep breath, "Well, as I said. The notebook has times of my observance of the guild hall itself, along with opening and closing times. The names in the notebook are guild members and their movements in relation to the guild hall, plus the time they arrived or left depending on when I saw them."

Jose nodded and handed the notebook to Gajeel who instantly opened it only to frown at a random signature. "What's with the signature?" he asked, turning it to Lucy and seeing the corner of her mouth quirk up.

"Well, as I told Master Jose, I ran into Erza Scarlet at a coffee shop," Lucy said, "We talked about cake, but initially I pretended to be a fan of hers. I got her autograph."

Gajeel snorted and said, "Right, but why?"

"Because, dumbass," Lucy ground out, rolling her eyes with a sigh, "There are plenty of things that can ruin someone's life if you have access to their signature. I don't know how to go about  _doing_  any of them, but having the signature itself could prove beneficial to the guild should Master Jose decide to take that course of action for any reason."

Jose chuckled and said, "I doubt I would use something like that, Lucy."

Lucy shrugged and said, "Well, you have it if you change your mind, Master. Either way, I couldn't play the part of a fan and  _not_  ask for an autograph. So, there it is." She paused and took a deep breath, then said, "The notebook itself is mostly just my shorthand notes from what I saw. Any patterns I noticed with the guild members themselves are noted in their files."

"Files?" Gajeel asked with a scowl.

Lucy grinned and stood up from her seat to walk over to the boxes Virgo had brought. She picked up the first two and said, "These are detailed files on every member of Fairy Tail. There are color-coded folders for them: red for their five S-Class mages; yellow for previous candidates for S-Class promotion, and any others that are as powerful (or more powerful) on average than I am right now; and green for any who are weaker than I currently am on average based on their magic. There are pictures of each member that were taken from Sorcerer's Weekly, along with detailed descriptions of the magic each member uses, and any known abilities they possess; there are even a few pictures of their magic in action. Also, in each file there are several personal notes on the members: their likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, and of course anything that could potentially be exploited. Finally, there are only a few actual teams in the guild, but I've grouped the members into either the team they work on or who they most often spend their time around."

"How did you get so much information on them?" Jose asked cautiously.

Lucy grinned and said, "The two Fairies I had to sit with on the train were  _very_  forthcoming with information on their 'family' when I asked them to tell me stories about their missions and the guild. They were trying to convince me to join them when I said I was looking into different guilds since I'm an independent mage. Their magical strength was the result of my spirit Crux's search: I had him compare the average strength of that type of magic user with my own strength; which means that these are rough estimates of how difficult they would be for me to beat. Anything else I gathered was from either watching them or piecing together information from six months' worth of magazines in the library."

"And the building?" Jose asked.

Lucy bent down and opened the last box. "This box contains any and all information I could find on the renovations to the guild over the years. The blueprints have key structural weaknesses already circled and highlighted. If a single one of those is destroyed, it could take out at least a quarter of the guild hall, since they're from the original construction." She picked up one blueprint in particular unrolled it across Master Jose's desk, then added, "This is the closest approximation of the guild hall with the renovations included. It took some time to draw this out since there are several areas that have been demolished repeatedly, and additions that have been made for seemingly pointless reasons; however, I took the liberty of color-coding the structural weaknesses on this as well. They range from red to green, with red causing the most destruction and green causing minimal or superficial damage."

Jose looked over the blueprints that were laid in front of him. He was pleasantly surprised at how thorough Lucy had been in her search, and watched her closely while she walked back around his desk to take her seat again with only a humble smile on her face. A quick glance at Gajeel showed him that the Slayer was already attempting to make sense of the notes Lucy had taken in the notebook—something that Jose had even struggled with. Her handwriting was absolutely impeccable, as it should be for someone with her heritage, but she apparently had a knack for making sure anyone that found her notes would be utterly confused without some sort of context and key to deciphering it. Gajeel's assessment of her abilities when it came to tactics was spot-on, though Jose ventured that adding acting and deceit to that list wouldn't be too far of a stretch. She had been able to interact with four different Fairy Tail mages and give them the slip, even going so far as getting inside information from what would normally be common conversation among mages. In short, she was a very valuable asset to his guild. "Lucy," he said once he looked back at the blonde, "Please tell me how you went about keeping your identity hidden."

Lucy smiled and nodded. "When I left town, I hadn't figured out just how much I would need to disguise myself, so I covered my guild mark with makeup and a shirt that actually covered my stomach." She laughed and nodded when Jose's jaw dropped in shock. "Yes, Master. I own normal shirts too."

Jose shook away his stupor and smiled at Lucy, then motioned for her to continue.

"So, while I was on the train with the Fairies, they saw what I usually look like. They know my name is Lucy and that I was travelling from Oak Town, but I also told them that I move around a lot and haven't settled down just yet. The next day, I summoned Cancer and tried to get him to dye my hair for the mission so I wouldn't be recognized by those two Fairies if we crossed paths again, but he suggested wearing a wig. That was the day I met Erza Scarlet at the coffee shop as a short-haired brunette named Layla. My hair was a different color, length, and style every day, I wore clothes that didn't reveal my guild mark or too much skin, and occasionally wore contacts just to make myself a little more unrecognizable. Last night when Natsu found me on the roof, I had black hair—as I said, I was wearing all black and he thought I was playing a game." Lucy snorted and shook her head, then added, "He thought I was pretending to be a ninja. So, I led him away from the guild and when I realized he was really too dumb to be of any use, I used his rivalry with Gray Fullbuster to my advantage by saying the mage had challenged him to a fight at the guild. He ran off right afterwards, and that was it. This morning, I decided to allow my guild mark to finally be visible since I was leaving Magnolia, but still kept my hair in the red wig you all saw."

Jose nodded and hummed in thought while he looked at Lucy. "Well, I  _did_  tell you to avoid direct contact with the Fairies," he said with a scowl, watching her sigh and nod sadly, "However, the information you found from those interactions seems to be well worth it. Not only have you excelled in the primary task you were assigned, you have also given us tons of insight into the inner workings of the guild itself. How well do you know the information you've brought, Lucy?"

Lucy grinned and said, "It's all memorized, Master. I can match the name and magic with the face almost instantly as if I've known them for years. Same with the blueprints."

Jose grinned and said, "Very well. I will definitely be sure to use this particularly intriguing skill of yours in the future. You've done well."

Lucy bowed her head and said, "Thank you, Master. It is the Phantom Lord way, after all."

"Indeed," Jose mused, then looked over at Gajeel who had stayed completely silent and continued reading through the notebook in his hands. "Gajeel," he said solemnly, smirking when the fiery red eyes of the Slayer instantly rose to meet his gaze, "You will be working with Lucy for the next week while you prepare for your mission."

Gajeel sneered and narrowed his eyes at Master Jose. "I can just read the files, Master."

"Nonsense," Jose said, waving his hand dismissively, "She knows all of the information herself, and any questions you might have can easily be answered by her." He turned to look at Lucy and raised an eyebrow in question as he asked, "Is that alright with you, Lucy?"

Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers and sighed, but still nodded. "If those are my orders, Master," she answered.

"Gajeel?" Jose asked.

"Guess it can't be helped," Gajeel growled. "Orders are orders."

"Wonderful!" Jose said happily. "Now, go on and get to work. Gajeel, meet me in one week for your mission briefing."

"Yes, Master," Gajeel and Lucy said simultaneously as she rose from her seat. She quickly summoned Virgo once more and said, "Virgo, can you please hold onto these files for me? Just a little bit longer."

"Of course, Princess," Virgo said with a bow before collecting everything she had dropped off and disappearing back to the Spirit World.

Lucy bowed to Master Jose, then turned to walk out of his office with Gajeel hot on her heels. "He's trying to push us together," Lucy grumbled softly, knowing Gajeel would hear her.

"I know," Gajeel answered. "Your place or mine?"

Lucy stopped and frowned at him, then said, "Neither." When Gajeel raised an eyebrow in question at her, Lucy sighed and shook her head at him before she continued walking. "I told Ryos that I would have lunch with him after I was finished in the meeting. You really scared the shit out of him, you know."

"That was the point, Bunny Girl," Gajeel growled.

"Well, you're shit out of luck when it comes to being anywhere near me until I know  _why_  you're so bent on him being afraid of you."

"He'll understand after I talk to him," Gajeel said.

Lucy frowned up at him and stopped on the second floor before they reached the stairs, crossing her arms under her chest. "You're not going near him without me there, so if you have something you need to say to him I'll hear it too."

"You can't."

"Well, I'm not letting you talk with him alone. If that was you trying to talk to him when I came in earlier, then there's no way I'm letting that shit happen again," Lucy said, her anger rising at Gajeel's stubbornness on the topic. "Master's going to be pissed if he sees that you're still here and not getting to work on everything, but I made a promise to Ryos. I don't give a flying fuck what you do with your time for the rest of the day, but you stay the hell away from him."

"Bunny—"

"No," Lucy said firmly, scowling up at Gajeel, "He's had enough of your 'macho-super-testosterone' bullshit for one day. I said I'd protect him, and that's what I'm doing. I'll meet you at your table tomorrow morning and we'll get to work then. Got it?" Lucy didn't wait for him to answer her, instead turning and stalking down the stairs to order lunch for herself and the injured boy from Tom.

Gajeel growled and narrowed his eyes as he watched Lucy sit down on her barstool and wait for her order. Once it was out, she smiled warmly at Tom, paid him, and walked down the hall towards the little brat's room in the infirmary. Rolling his eyes and deciding that—yet again—the little blonde was right, Gajeel stalked out of the guild towards his apartment to eat a huge pile of metal and try to figure out what he was going to tell the kid the next time Gajeel saw him. He knew Ryos was a Dragon Slayer like himself, but he was weak as hell and way too young to have been properly trained by his dragon. It took years to learn how to control their magic and understand all of the things Slayers needed to, and Ryos couldn't have been more than a few years old when Metallicana disappeared. Obviously the kid's dragon wasn't around either, and Gajeel wondered if his dragon left the same way, but Ryos was wading dangerously close to crossing a line with Gajeel where Lucy was concerned. He couldn't understand what it meant, or why the line was there, but Gajeel knew he hated the fact that she'd chosen the boy over him. Of course, with Lucy ignoring him, Gajeel also had no way to relieve the tension that had been building up for the past week while she was gone either.  _That has to be it,_  he told himself,  _I'm pissed because we should be fucking, and she chose the brat over fucking me._


	8. Arc 1: I Only Want the Truth

Lucy walked back into the infirmary with the lunch she'd gotten for herself and Ryos, and couldn't help but smile when she saw that he'd fallen asleep again with Plue wrapped in his arms like a stuffed animal. She slowly set everything down on the small table next to Ryos' bed, then sat down on the edge of the bed and threaded her fingers through his hair. Pushing his hair from his face again, Lucy sighed when she saw the damage that Gajeel had inflicted on the boy. No one that young should have to deal with the pain that Gajeel's hits could inflict, and a sour feeling settled in Lucy's stomach at the thought of being close to the man that had done something so terrible. She had known that he wasn't the nicest guy around, and he definitely wasn't great when it came to his temper, but some part of Lucy thought that there would be something inside of Gajeel that would keep him from hurting a kid. She had made an assumption based on the man that she thought he was from their time away from the guild, and there was a painful pang inside of her heart when she realized that she had been wrong about him. Gajeel wasn't good and sweet and kind, he was ruthless to a fault and always would be that way. Lucy had deluded herself into believing that his time with her had changed him into a kinder and gentler person.

Lucy frowned when she understood what bothered her about the whole situation with Gajeel. Sure, there was the fact that he had been abusing Ryos for almost a year, but when it translated to her own feelings for whatever she had with him, Lucy knew that she could only blame herself. Gajeel never tried to hide who he was from anyone, and Lucy had forced herself to believe that there was more to what they had together than a release of tension. Everything she had ever thought about Gajeel, every nice thing he had ever done for her, seemed to bring about only one question: how much of it was to get into her pants? Lucy didn't know if Gajeel had been sweet and kind while he was with her to ensure that he'd be able to keep fucking her, and she technically didn't have any right to question his motives because they weren't anything more than two people fucking. It hurt that she had started trusting Gajeel and opened herself up to him, only for him to remind her of who he really was before they took that mission. He was Black Steel Gajeel, and his reputation was very well-known.  _Did you really think a month with you would change that?,_ she thought sourly.

It wasn't that she wanted to change him, but she wanted to understand the man she'd allowed into her bed. How was it exactly that he could treat her the way she had seen in the cave, the woods, at sunrise, and at her home? How could Gajeel possibly be both a man that could harm a child like this repeatedly, with the same lost and kind soul Lucy thought she saw in him? Was there sincerity in what Gajeel had supposedly shown her while they were alone, or was it all just a scheme to get her guard down so he could get inside her head? Lucy sighed and looked sadly down at Ryos and Plue, and finally quietly told Plue to head back to the Spirit World. Once the spirit was gone, Lucy kicked off her boots, set her whip on the table next to the sandwiches she had brought, and quietly tucked her keys into her bra before lifting the blanket and tucking herself beneath it with the sleeping boy. Careful of his injuries, Lucy wrapped her arms around Ryos and pulled him closer, smiling sadly when his arm wrapped around her waist and he nuzzled her chest with a soft sigh. She carefully kissed the top of Ryos' head and closed her eyes, sifting her fingers through his hair again and again while her emotions and confusion overwhelmed her.

"Lucy?" Ryos asked softly, blinking away his sleep and pushing his eyebrows together while he looked up at the blonde that was holding him and silently crying. He'd woken up when she sent Plue away and kept silent while she crawled under the covers with him to lie down. When Ryos thought that she would just want to sleep, he'd gotten more comfortable and started drifting. He was in that odd in-between state of consciousness when his barely functioning nose picked up her tears, and it took everything in his power to keep himself still. She didn't make a single sound while her tears fell for the longest ten minutes of his life, but that was all he could stomach before he let her know he was awake. "Why are you crying?"

Lucy stiffened, her eyes going wide when she saw the unhidden concern in the red eyes looking at her, and she quickly pulled a hand to her face to roughly wipe away the traces of her sadness. With a sniffle and a watery smile, Lucy said, "It's nothing you need to worry about, Ryos."

"But, I thought you said friends take care of each other," Ryos countered. "Are you sad?"

Lucy let out a small chuckle and sniffled again, then kissed his bandaged forehead before saying, "In a way, I guess. More confused than anything else."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, smiling when she started running a hand through his hair again.

"I don't know where to start, Ryos," Lucy whispered sadly. "Even if I did, it's a conversation I need to have with someone else in particular."

"It's Gajeel, isn't it?" Ryos asked. When Lucy went rigid for a moment, he knew that he was right. Skiadrum may not have been able to teach him everything he needed to learn, but the dragon did impress upon Ryos how important it was to use his ability to detect scents and changes in them. He'd known since the pair came back from their mission that something was different. While Ryos wasn't as familiar with Lucy's scent—because he'd never gotten close enough to really take in just  _how_  sweet it was—he knew Gajeel's very well. Their first day back at the guild, Lucy came in earlier than usual with Gajeel almost right behind her, and their scents were all over one another in a way that he'd already learned meant physical intimacy. While Ryos really didn't want to think about something like that, feeling as though he was prying into their personal lives by having that kind of information, it was just something he could smell. "What did he do to make you sad?"

"I-I never said…" Lucy paused and sighed. "How did you know?" she whispered.

Ryos blushed and looked away from her, then said, "I… I could… smell it."

Lucy frowned and pulled back to look fully at the boy. "What do you mean, 'smell' it?" she asked cautiously.

Ryos opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, unsure if he should tell Lucy about his magic since he had only ever told Master Jose what he was, and Gajeel instinctually knew it. "W-Well… Um…" he stuttered, blushing a deeper shade of red from his embarrassment at  _what_  he had smelled before and how he couldn't currently articulate  _how_  he was able to do so.

"It means the brat's a Dragon Slayer, Bunny," Gajeel answered from the doorway with a scowl. He'd gotten as far as the end of the block before he realized that he couldn't head to his house. No matter what Lucy planned on doing to him for not leaving the kid alone, there was some stuff that needed to get hashed out between himself and the boy, and the only way to do that without driving himself insane was to go back and talk to the kid, regardless of Lucy's presence. He'd stalked through the training field from a small side entrance, and silently walked back into the guild without being seen. Once he'd smelled Lucy's tears, Gajeel's feet had practically turned to lead and rooted him right outside of the infirmary door. He listened in on the conversation Ryos had started with her, and understood right then why Lucy was so protective of the boy—he'd called her his friend, and from the conversations Gajeel and Lucy had in the mountains, he knew that Ryos had to be her first real friend that wasn't a spirit. The fact that Lucy was crying over something Gajeel had done caused his stomach to churn, and he finally couldn't help but intrude when it seemed as though Ryos wasn't able to explain why he knew that about her.

Lucy went rigid again, partly from the news she'd just heard and partly from who had given it to her. After only a moment, Lucy sighed and dropped her head to the pillow in defeat. "What are you doing here?" she groaned into the pillowcase, deciding to deal with the more pressing issue of Gajeel's presence.

"Came to talk to him," Gajeel said gruffly while he closed and locked the infirmary door—silently wondering why there was even a lock on the door in the first place—then walked across the room to stand at the foot of the bed. "And to tell you that your tits are suffocating him," he added with a smirk.

Lucy squeaked and pushed herself up and away from Ryos, barely catching a glimpse of his bright red cheeks and stunned expression before she fell right off of the bed. She landed in a heavy heap on the ground and groaned in pain while she carefully pulled herself back upright. "Sorry," she muttered sheepishly, giving Ryos an apologetic smile and a shrug while she carefully sat back down.

Ryos blinked a few times and nodded before looking away and moving himself to sit up against the headboard.

"You didn't answer my question, Gajeel," Lucy said after a moment, turning to glare at the pierced man in the room.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I did. I came to talk to him."

Lucy raised a disbelieving eyebrow in response.

"Goddamnit, woman," Gajeel grumbled, running a hand over his face. "You really shouldn't hear any of this shit, you know that?" he asked, glaring right at the buxom blonde.

"Why?" she retorted.

"Dragon Slayer thing," Gajeel grunted. "What I was trying to talk to him about when you came in earlier."

Lucy frowned, her eyebrows furrowing, then looked over at Ryos while she put the pieces together. "You're a Dragon Slayer," she said slowly. When he nodded, she narrowed her eyes at him and thought over what he'd told her before. "So, your dad was a dragon." He nodded again. "And you meant 'smell' as in—OH GOD!" Lucy threw her hands over her face as it flushed a red to rival the two pairs of eyes that were staring at her in shock and confusion.

"What did I miss?" Ryos asked, looking from Lucy to Gajeel. All he saw was the same confusion in Gajeel's face while he stared at the blushing blonde on the bed.

From behind her hands, her words muffled almost too much to be made out by the pair, Lucy said, "I knew I should have taken a shower before we left…"

Gajeel frowned and looked over at Ryos to see another deep blush on his cheeks while he stared guiltily at the blanket in front of him. "Seriously?" he asked the pair on the bed. "You smelled me all over her, and  _that's_  what makes this weird?"

Lucy dropped her hands and glared at Gajeel, though she knew her face was still red. "He's a little young to just  _know_  shit like that. Of course it's weird." When Ryos flinched next to her, Lucy sighed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "It's alright, Ryos," she said gently. "I know you don't really have control over what you smell, so I'm not mad at you."

"Fuck," Gajeel grumbled, "So much nicer to him."

"That's because he's not a lying piece of shit, Gajeel," Lucy shot back with a venomous glare.

"When did I lie to you?!"

"I'm not having this conversation with you right now," Lucy answered. "We're in the guild, and this really should be between just the two of us."

"Tell me when I lied, and I'll drop it for now," Gajeel growled.

"Later," Lucy ground out, her teeth clenched tightly. Screw wanting to believe she was the delusional one. Lucy wanted to place just as much blame on Gajeel as she did on herself. He had to be playing with her emotions, there wasn't any other explanation for how he could possibly be two totally different people. Lucy knew what she had witnessed while it was just her and Gajeel, knew that the things she had told him about herself were completely honest and heartfelt. She had never tried to hide anything from him—with the exception of her upbringing—but she also knew that if he'd asked her about it, she would have come clean about all of it. Lucy had opened herself up to Gajeel in a way that she had never allowed with anyone else, even though they were just in a physical relationship. How could he possibly be telling her the truth when he was sweet with her and merciless when it came to anyone else? It just didn't make sense, and all she could figure out was that it must have been a lie.

"No, now," Gajeel said slowly, raising his eyebrows, "When did I lie?"

"I'm not doing this here, Gajeel."

"Bunny Girl," Gajeel growled, "If you want to keep those pretty little arms attached to your fucking body, you'll answer the goddamn question. Don't call me a liar and then try and get out of it. When did I lie to you?"

"Every time you were nice to me," Lucy answered with a defeated sigh, lowering her head and shaking it sadly, "You only did it to get something out of me." She felt Ryos stiffen and actually heard a low growl coming from the boy, but Lucy only gave a short humorless laugh while she looked up at Gajeel's hardened face. "I should have known, and that's my fault… But you—"

"Really?" Gajeel asked incredulously. "You seriously think that?"

Lucy gave him a pointed look, then slowly nodded as if Gajeel was an idiot.

"So, that night you came back to the cave," Gajeel said, his voice frighteningly soft and totally at odds with the hardened lines of his face while he scowled at Lucy, "What was I trying to get out of you then?"

"I said we'll talk about it later," Lucy answered weakly, lowering her head again and letting go of Ryos to mindlessly fiddle with a stray thread on the blanket.

"No," Gajeel nearly shouted, shaking his head and stalking around the side of the bed to tower over her. When he continued, he forced himself to keep his voice quiet enough so that it wouldn't be heard through the door to the infirmary if anyone was listening in. "You're telling me that I was only nice so I could use you, so what was my angle that night? You were covered in blood from the three guys you killed—"

"Two," Lucy interjected softly.

"What?" Gajeel asked, momentarily distracted from his ranting.

"I only killed two of them," Lucy said, "I gouged out the third guy's eyes, stabbed his dick, then sliced his ankles open so he couldn't walk. I let him go."

"Fine," Gajeel continued, "The  _two_  guys you killed with no magic and practically killed a third. When you came back, you had practically nothing on because they tore it off of you while they tried to rape you! So you tell me what I wanted out of you when I cleaned and bandaged you up, then held you and let you cry on my fucking shoulder for as long as you needed me to. Go on, fucking tell me how I was using it to my advantage."

Ryos' eyes went what would have been considered comically wide if it weren't for what Gajeel had just said. Not only had the older Slayer openly admitted that something so horrible had happened to Lucy while they were away on that mission, but he even admitted just what he'd done to help her.  _He's nice to her? He helped her?_

"Better yet," Gajeel said before Lucy could answer him, "Every time you've had a nightmare about that night—where you don't get away and you can't fight back, where they get to finish what they started—where was I? Right fucking there. Before we did anything whatsoever, and when I was willing to leave you the hell alone about the fact that you fucking kissed me and didn't want just a random fuck, I let you sleep next to me. I held you every fucking time, Bunny. At first, it was to get you to shut the hell up, but later on? You told me it helped keep the nightmares away, and I  _wanted_  to help you. I didn't want you to be afraid, or to see you crying your eyes out every time you heard a noise in the woods at night. What was I trying to get out of you then?" When Lucy didn't say anything, just kept her eyes locked on her hands in her lap, Gajeel sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I told you before: me acting like that isn't gonna happen often. It happens more often with you than I'd care to admit, but you know it's true. I don't do it to try and get shit from you, I do it because I fucking  _want_  to."

"Why?" Lucy asked softly, her voice hardly more than a breath.

"Because of what I told you in the rain," Gajeel answered softly. When he saw Lucy stiffen, her body going completely rigid from what he'd just said, Gajeel added, "I've never lied to you, with the exception of denying that you've got a hot body before we left on our mission. If there's something I can't tell you for any reason, I let you know just that. Everything I said that day was completely true, regardless of how much I'd rather keep that shit to myself. It wasn't some bullshit that popped out because we were high off our asses, it's what I really think—what I try to keep to myself because it's easier to keep it hidden than let anyone find out about it. I can tell you that I have no fucking clue what it means, but I'd rather not discuss  _that_  right now. I'm serious though… I told you the truth." When Lucy's head slowly raised and she stared at him with wide and unbelieving eyes, he smirked at her and said, "Always always, right Bunny?"

Lucy smiled tremulously up at Gajeel, seeing his eyes soften marginally while he looked back at her. It wasn't imagined like she'd thought, he was just a confusing puzzle that she'd yet to solve. This was one of the few times that she was seeing Gajeel in that light that painted him as a good person on the inside. While his words sounded heartfelt and they were everything she needed to hear, it wasn't that he was saying them to her that made her believe he was being honest. No, it was the fact that Ryos was sitting right next to her, hearing Gajeel pour his heart out in a way that was uniquely his: harsh and filled with a whole slew of curses, but oddly endearing. Someone else was witnessing this side of Gajeel that she'd worried was a figment of her imagination. She wasn't alone in seeing the goodness inside of him, and that was what made Lucy feel like she could really trust what he was saying to her. "Yeah, Gajeel," she whispered, "Always always."

"Good," Gajeel grunted, clearing his throat and ignoring the way his body had reacted to hearing her confirm what he'd asked—how his heart started pounding, his throat went dry, and the way his brain decided to stutter a little bit—before looking over at the utterly silent boy that was doing everything he could to disappear from view during what had become an intensely private conversation. "Brat," he said gruffly.

Ryos flinched when he realized that Gajeel knew he was still there, wishing that he had just ignored his injuries and used his magic to get out of the room while the older pair were talking. He slowly turned his head and looked up at the scowling Slayer, staying completely silent.

Gajeel narrowed his eyes at the boy while he took in his appearance. Disheveled hair, far too thin, scared out of his mind, and red eyes that were too similar to his own for his liking. Then there were the injuries: a splint on his nose, swollen and bruised cheeks and jaw, bandaged forehead, and more that Gajeel knew he couldn't see with the kid's shirt in the way. "How badly did I fuck you up earlier?"

"U-Um…" Ryos mumbled, lowering his head in shame that he couldn't even bring himself to speak to the man he'd looked up to ever since he'd read about him in a magazine.

Lucy sighed and moved to cross her legs, then patted the bed while she looked up at Gajeel. "Sit down and talk. You're scaring him again," she said while she reached over to the table and picked up their nearly forgotten lunch. She handed Ryos his food and whispered that he should eat while she rubbed soft circles on his back.

Gajeel frowned and shook his head as he sat down at the foot of the bed. "How bad?" he asked Lucy when Ryos took the first small bite of his sandwich.

"Broken nose and ribs. Sprained ankle. A few cuts and scrapes, and too many bruises," Lucy answered, forcing herself to take a bite of her own sandwich. "His face is just swollen mostly, you didn't get a chance to break anything else."

"I-It's fine," Ryos muttered between bites. "I—"

"No," Lucy said softly, her eyebrows pushing together in concern, "It's not fine for him to beat the shit out of you because you want help."

"Wait, what?" Gajeel asked. "Help? The fuck are you talking about?" He looked from Lucy to Ryos and back, hoping someone would enlighten him.

"I…" Ryos said, sighing when Lucy pulled him closer to lay his head on her shoulder. He glanced up at Gajeel and said, "I wanted to ask if you'd train me… It's the same thing I ask you every time."

"Since when?" Gajeel asked.

Lucy groaned and rolled her eyes. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Since I joined the guild almost a year ago."

"You do know why you're not supposed to talk to me while I'm eating right?" Gajeel asked, realizing that every time the boy had spoken to him, he'd been at his table.

"Because you beat people willy-nilly for bothering you," Lucy said.

"Noooo," Gajeel drawled, "It's because I can't fucking hear you while I'm eating. How loud is it when you hear metal getting crushed when I'm here?"

"I can hear it as soon as I open the door from Master's office," Lucy answered with a frown.

"Right," Gajeel said, "And if it's loud as hell from up there, how loud do you think it is when it's happening  _in my fucking mouth_? My hearing's more sensitive than yours already, Bunny Girl." He paused and looked at Ryos, then asked, "How loud is it when you're standing by the table?"

"Deafening," Ryos answered with a wince.

"Exactly. If it's that bad for you with Slayer hearing, it's worse when it's literally in your head. When I can't hear what you're saying, I get pissed. When I get pissed, I hit things." He paused and shook his head at the pair and sighed. "Bunny Girl's the only one I can hear over it, but that's because she's a fucking loudmouth."

Ryos smiled and bit his lower lip, trying to stifle the small chuckle that wanted to bubble out of him over what Gajeel had said. With a single glance at Gajeel, Ryos was able to see that the older Slayer had done it on purpose when their eyes met; there was a mischievous grin on Gajeel's face and amusement dancing in his eyes that Ryos never thought possible.

"I'm am  _not_  a loudmouth!" Lucy shouted.

"Bunny, you do realize you're sitting with two Slayers, right?" Gajeel asked, raising his eyebrow in question. When she nodded, he smirked and said, "Well, we'll always think you're loud as hell since we can hear better than everyone else. Then again, everyone else thinks you're pretty damn loud too."

Lucy scowled at Gajeel, then kicked one leg out to try and hit him. His hand shot out and grabbed her ankle and he looked pointedly at her before shaking his head and rubbing slow circles over it with his thumb. Lucy sighed and stretched her other leg out, then leaned back against the headboard while she asked, "So, Gajeel. What did you want to talk to Ryos about?"

Gajeel scowled at the dainty ankle in his hand, though he didn't stop running his thumb over the wonderfully smooth skin of the woman it belonged to. He'd waited an entire week to feel her, to smell her, just to see her and know that she wasn't hurt. The past week had been absolute torture for Gajeel, knowing that there was a place he could go that would allow him to take in that sweet scent of hers—except he wasn't willing to break into her apartment if she wasn't there as well. One week of nothing but dreaming about the blonde woman, and not even just the ones where he was nestled deep inside of her and watching her writhe. No, he'd just  _had_  to dream about lying in bed with her, the night she gave him that book, what her smile looked like and the way her laugh sounded. Gajeel's thoughts over the past week were plagued with Lucy, and it was driving him insane.  _She_  was the real reason he'd come back to the guild to talk with Ryos. Gajeel would have been fine talking to the kid another time, but he wanted to see Lucy. After a week without her being around, less than an hour in her presence just didn't cut it for Gajeel. "What happened to him, brat?" he asked gruffly.

"Who?" Ryos asked.

Lucy sighed and said, "Your dragon."

Ryos' head dropped in defeat. He didn't want anyone to know that he'd been forced to kill his father, even though Skiadrum had been sick and told him to do it. "He's dead," he answered softly. "He got sick and he died."

"When?" Gajeel asked.

"Seven years ago. In the summer."

Gajeel shifted in place, sitting cross-legged while he turned to face Lucy and Ryos. He frowned and stared down at Lucy's feet while his hands absently massaged them. Instead of questioning why he was doing it, Gajeel instantly reasoned that it was because he preferred having something to do with his hands while he was thinking. "How old were you?" he asked.

"Five."

"How long were you with him?"

"He found me when I was a baby," Ryos answered sadly. "He said I was crying in the middle of the woods, and when he found out where the noise was coming from… My family was murdered, and I was laying under my mom. He didn't tell me a lot about it, and said I was too young for him to tell me everything. Skiadrum's the only family I've ever had as far as I'm concerned."

"How much did he teach you?"

"Everything he could," Ryos said.

"About your magic," Gajeel clarified. "How much?"

Ryos tilted his head to the side while he looked at Gajeel. The man was quite literally giving Lucy a foot massage and still managed to look the scariest man he'd ever met. Gajeel seemed to be deep in thought about something, and apparently Ryos' answers weren't exactly what he wanted to hear. "He started teaching it to me when I was three or so, history and all of that. I barely survived the transfer when he gave it to me on my fourth birthday, but he must have known he didn't have much time."

"Transfer?" Lucy asked.

Gajeel and Ryos nodded, but it was Gajeel that spoke. "Yeah, Dragon Slaying Magic is a little different. Dragons transfer a portion of their own magic into a human, then teach them how to control what they've been given. That's why we get pointed teeth, and all the other stuff I've already told you about—the transfer gives us their magic, but also other traits of theirs."

Lucy nodded, then stayed silent while they continued their conversation.

"I need to know what he taught you, brat," Gajeel said, turning his attention back to Ryos. "Attacks, senses, instincts… everything."

"He told me about the attacks I would learn eventually, but I only know how to roar. I can fade into shadows and move around like that. My senses are fine, I guess." He paused and shrugged, then glanced at Lucy before looking back at Gajeel. "I can't really smell much right now, and it took a while for me to realize Lucy was crying."

Gajeel nodded and watched Lucy smile softly and wrap a protective arm around Ryos, pulling him closer to lay his head on her shoulder again. "What about your instincts?" he asked carefully.

"… He taught me about that," Ryos answered, discreetly scratching at his neck and giving Gajeel a knowing look. "I learned about it while I was still recovering from the transfer."

Gajeel nodded and switched to Lucy's other foot. "You wanted me to train you?" he asked.

Ryos felt Lucy give him an encouraging squeeze around his shoulders, then quietly said, "More than anything."

"Why?"

"Um…" Ryos mumbled, sighing when Lucy's fingers started sifting through his hair.

"It's okay, Ryos," she said softly, "You can tell him."

"I've looked up to you since I read about you in a magazine," Ryos said sheepishly. "You're what a Dragon Slayer is supposed to be, and I never learned everything I needed to. You're strong, fearless, and powerful—like I  _should_  be. Skiadrum told me that I would need to find another Slayer to help me since he didn't have more time, and when I found out about you I made my way here to join the guild."

Gajeel nodded again and sat in silence while he thought over what Ryos had told him. Honestly, he was planning on talking to the kid and telling him to stay away from Lucy. Even earlier when he'd fought with her, Gajeel had seen the way she cared for the boy with sweet smiles and gentle hugs; but, he'd also noticed that Ryos seemed to pick up on Gajeel not liking him so close to the blonde and tried to keep his distance. If it hadn't been for the kid being scared out of his mind, he probably wouldn't have ended up crying and holding onto her for dear life like he had.  _"This is your fault."_  Lucy's words that had echoed over the boy's sobs earlier filtered back into Gajeel's head, and damn if he didn't feel like a total shitbag for not hearing the kid out before. Gajeel hadn't put much thought into the fact that he'd been beating up a kid, because Ryos was a member of their guild and he knew the rules. Normally, Gajeel wouldn't have stooped as low as hitting someone so young, but his instincts were telling him that Ryos needed to be stronger if he was going to survive in this world—and the only way to get stronger in Gajeel's eyes was to take a beating and learn from it. "Two things," Gajeel finally said. "One, I'll train you starting in a couple weeks. Master's sending me on a mission soon, so after I'm back for a couple days to relax we'll get started."

"Really?" Ryos asked hopefully, his eyes going wide as saucers, and a blush crossing his cheeks when Lucy giggled and kissed the top of his head again.

"Don't get too excited," Lucy interjected with a smirk. "Gajeel doesn't know the meaning of 'going easy' on you. Be ready to get your ass handed to you again and again until you figure out how to fight back."

Gajeel nodded shortly and continued. "It'll be harder on you because I'm gonna have to teach you about your magic along with everything I taught Bunny Girl. She had a strong base for me to build up on, so it wasn't too hard for her to adapt. You on the other hand are starting from scratch as far as I'm concerned." When Ryos nodded, watching Gajeel intently and hanging on his every word, Gajeel smirked at him. "Two… I'm not one for apologizing, you can ask Bunny Girl. I'll admit that I was a raging asshole, but that's as much as you'll get out of me. So, next time you plan on bothering me while I'm eating, stand there and wait until I'm not chewing and you won't get your ass kicked."

Ryos grinned and nodded happily. "I can do that."

"Why are you suddenly willing to train him?" Lucy asked cautiously, tilting her head to the side and narrowing her eyes at Gajeel.

Gajeel sighed and set one hand on each of Lucy's ankles, rubbing slow circles over them with the pads of his thumbs. He looked from Lucy to Ryos and back, then turned to Ryos and said, "You tell no one about what you know, got it?"

"About you two?" Ryos asked.

"Exactly. Anyone finds out, and they'll use it against one of us," Gajeel growled. "Then I'll have to come kick your ass for blabbing."

Lucy frowned and kicked Gajeel. "What did I say about being a bitch baby?"

Gajeel rolled his eyes at her then turned and looked expectantly at Ryos. When the boy nodded quickly, Gajeel said, "I agreed to it for a couple reasons. He needs training, and he's a Slayer—extenuating circumstances make me feel a little more compassionate since his dragon's dead." He watched understanding light up Lucy's eyes, and he nodded. She understood that Gajeel was feeling just a little bit obligated to help Ryos since they had both lost their dragons, and while he didn't know if Metallicana was actually dead, Gajeel at least had  _hope_  that he'd get to see that big iron bastard again. Ryos didn't have a chance to see his own parent ever again.

"And another reason?" Lucy asked.

Gajeel smirked at her and said, "He's your friend."

"… So?" Lucy asked slowly, not understanding where Gajeel was going with his train of thought.

"How would you feel if I trained him, Bunny?" Gajeel asked.

"Happy," Lucy answered instantly.

"What did I tell you in the rain?"

Lucy froze, her eyes going wide as she remembered part of their conversation that day.

" _You're a dick sometimes—well, most times—but you're also a sweetheart when you wanna be," Lucy whispered. "Even when you hurt me, I know you're just trying to take care of me."_

_"You know why, right?" Gajeel asked. When Lucy shook her head no, he said, "Because you're my little Bunny. I've gotta make you happy!"_

Twice in a single day, Gajeel had mentioned what happened that day. And before she had left on her mission, he'd even called her that little pet name again. She didn't know if it meant that he was trying to tell her there was something more than just a physical attraction on his side, and Lucy didn't  _want_  to assume anything otherwise she might make a fool out of herself. Hell, he'd even told her he hadn't a clue what any of what he'd said to her that day really meant, but it was enough for her to see that he saw her as at least a little more than some hole to fuck. Everything on her side was confusing as hell, and she couldn't even begin to piece together whether or not there was more to it for her. Lucy did know that Gajeel was more to her than some random guy she was screwing, and had to admit that what she'd said to him that day was true as well—it was just everything that she wouldn't have normally let past her filters. Unless Gajeel openly said there was more to it for him, and that he wanted more than the weird unlabeled whatever-the-hell they were in, Lucy wouldn't even entertain the idea on her end. "So…" Lucy said slowly, an answering soft smile on her face, "Because it'll make me happy?"

"Pretty much," Gajeel answered with an indifferent shrug. "Consider it repayment for watching Draco's fight."

Lucy giggled and rolled her eyes at him, then leaned down to Ryos and loudly whispered, "See? He's not so scary."

"Oi," Gajeel warned, "Watch it, Bunny. I'll still rip your arms off."

"Not if I put your dick in a meat grinder first," Lucy shot back.

"Speaking of dicks," Gajeel said as he paled at the mental image, "Where the fuck are you planning on getting a whole bag of them?"

"Bloody and pus-filled?" Lucy asked sweetly. When Gajeel slowly nodded, she winked and said, "You don't want to know, Gajeel." The two mages with her visibly shuddered, and Lucy couldn't help but laugh at the matching expressions on their faces. "Don't worry, Ryos. You're safe from my wrath until you're  _at least_  a teenager."

Ryos sweatdropped and said, "That doesn't make me feel much better…"

Gajeel snickered at him and said, "It shouldn't."

* * *

Lucy sighed while she walked into her apartment, looking around to see that it was still completely disheveled from a week prior when she'd left in a hurry. In all honesty, it wasn't too bad, since she didn't have much in the way of belongings aside from her closet, but the sight of her unmade bed had Lucy rolling her eyes that it wasn't handled and blushing when she remembered just  _why_  it was like that. Lucy heard the door close behind her as she made her way over to her desk and started picking up the papers that had been knocked to the floor. Two strong hands wrapped around her bare waist, gliding lightly over her stomach, and Lucy smiled when she looked down to see those familiar fingerless gloves and the piercings jutting from muscular forearms. "I need to clean up, Gajeel," she said, "Then you and I should get to work on the information you'll need for your mission."

Gajeel chuckled and pushed Lucy's hair to the side with his nose, then started kissing and licking every bare inch of her upper back and shoulders, pausing at the fading scars from the bites he'd given her and paying special attention to them. "C'mon, Bunny," he rasped, pressing his arousal against her backside and slowly grinding into her. "You've been gone all week."

"And?" Lucy asked with a smirk while she tried to control her willingness to tear each other's clothes off. Gajeel deserved to suffer just a little bit for being an ass earlier in the day, and Lucy knew just how to do it.

"And, I'm horny as hell," Gajeel supplied, grinding a little more roughly against her and nipping at her neck. A wide grin spread across his face when she sucked in a sharp breath, a light moan spilling from her lips. Gajeel's hands moved to her hips and started pushing her body back against him, and he groaned when he pictured just how sweet it would be to be nestled deep in her slick sex.

"So am I, but that doesn't mean I'll just fuck you," Lucy shot back.

"Why not?" Gajeel asked, sliding one hand to the button of her shorts. "Besides, you wore black and red today. You remember the last time you wore that?"

Lucy giggled and pushed his hands away from her while she stepped out of reach. "At the bar, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I nearly ripped your clothes off that night when I saw you, you know," Gajeel said earnestly, his voice becoming lower and huskier by the second while he pressed himself to her back again.

"So, me wearing black and red around you means I'm inviting you to fuck my brains out?" Lucy asked with a laugh.

"Pretty much," Gajeel answered, pushing the button through the hole and sliding her zipper down before carefully pushing the barely-there shorts down her slender legs. When he ground against her again, Gajeel groaned and nestled his nose in her hair. "Come on, you know I'll make you feel good. Why are you teasing me?"

"Gajeel, did you miss me?" Lucy taunted.

"…"

She giggled and rolled her eyes, then weaseled her way out of his grasp and moved closer to the bed to start fixing the blankets. "I guess if you didn't miss me then there's no reason for us to fuck," she said, bending over and arching her back slightly to give him the perfect view of her bare backside and the bright red slip of lace that traveled between her cheeks and over her sex.

Gajeel watched, enraptured by the sight of her bending over her bed and her ass shaking just slightly while she adjusted the covers. "Fuck, you look good enough to eat," he said as he stalked over to her.

Lucy gasped when Gajeel pressed into her again and pinned her hands to the bed. "Say you missed me," she said breathily. "Admit it, Gajeel."

Gajeel growled in her ear, smirking when she whimpered and her ass started grinding against him without his insistence. "You first. Miss me, Bunny?" he groaned before his tongue darted out to lick a searing path down the column of her throat.

"Yes," Lucy whispered.

"Did you miss me fucking you?" he asked, scraping his teeth along her bare shoulder and sliding down her spine.

"Yes. Everything," she answered. "Tell me, Gajeel."

Gajeel grinned, sliding his fingers under the flimsy panties and carefully pulling them down and off of her while he knelt on the floor. "Of course I missed you, little Bunny," he whispered back, pushing her legs further apart and licking his lips when he saw her spread out in front of him. "I missed everything."

"How I smell?" Lucy asked, her voice filled with desire. She gasped when Gajeel's nose travelled lightly from the back of her knee up her thigh, then skipped over her glistening sex to her other thigh and moved back down.

"Definitely," Gajeel said, kissing his way up each thigh and waiting for her to say something else.

"Kissing me?"

Gajeel grinned and kissed a little closer to the apex of her thighs. "Always."

"Touching me?"

His hands grasped her ankles, then moved up her legs. Gajeel drew large circles over each rounded cheek before his hands glided up to the small of her back. Once he started moving back down, he grinned deviously and firmly grasped her thighs, kneading the soft and femininely muscular flesh. "Fuck yes."

"What about tasting me, Gajeel?" Lucy asked. "Did you miss that?" Her body was burning up from the inside, and the way Gajeel had been teasing her and letting her control his actions at the same time had Lucy more wound up than ever. She felt ready to burst, and when she heard Gajeel growl from behind her, Lucy moaned softly and bit her lip in anticipation of what he would do.

"You have no idea, Bunny," Gajeel answered with a wide, salacious grin as he licked his lips. "Can I have a taste?" he asked as he leaned closer, taking in just how sweet the scent of her arousal was as it filled his nostrils, and his breath dancing across her sex.

"Please," Lucy whimpered, gasping when Gajeel's lips brushed over her glistening folds, his tongue darting out to flatten over her curls and dragging slowly between her lips. She cried out and tightly grasped at the sheets when she finally felt Gajeel's tongue circling her entrance, barely breaching her with the tip before retreating.

"So sensitive now," Gajeel chuckled. His hands slid up her thighs and he used his thumbs to spread her open before him, and while he drank in the sight of her so willingly letting him touch her as he wished, he asked, "Did you save it all for me?"

Lucy moaned, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks, then nodded. "I can't do it like you can," she said huskily.

Gajeel smirked and pressed his lips lightly to her core, letting his tongue snake out and spear into her only once before pulling back. "You taste better than ever, Bunny." He dove in, unable to hold himself back any longer, and groaned when her taste burst across his tongue while she cried out again. Gajeel's arms hooked under her body and wrapped around her hips while he feasted on her, dragging his teeth and tongue over every inch of her before roughly plunging his tongue into her depths. He growled long and low in answer to her heightening moans, then slid a hand up her back and forced her chest down onto the mattress.

With Lucy's ass pushed higher into the air, and how greedily Gajeel's mouth was moving over her, there was no way she would last much longer. "Gajeel!" she moaned, her legs beginning to quake while she barreled towards her climax, "M-More…"

Gajeel pulled back and grinned deviously, licking her arousal from his lips. "How much more, Bunny?" he asked, nipping at her quivering thighs while she whimpered and writhed.

"Please," Lucy begged, feeling utterly bereft with the loss of his mouth on her. "Please, Gajeel."

"Will you let me try something?" he asked softly as he pulled away completely and rolled her over onto her back. Gajeel kissed his way up her stomach, then carefully pulled her shirt up and over her head, throwing it off into the room and sending her bra and his own shirt right along with it.

"What do you want to try?" Lucy asked, her hips writhing to try and find something that could bring her the release he'd neglected to give her.

"You've gotta trust me," Gajeel said with a smirk, circling his tongue around one nipple and moaning as he felt it pebble at his attention. "Do you trust me, little Bunny?" he rasped.

Lucy moaned and arched her back, pushing her chest fully into Gajeel's face while her hands tangled in his hair. "Yes," she said, her voice undeniably needy, "What do you want to try?"

Gajeel chuckled, catching her nipple between his teeth with his eyes locked on hers. He slowly pulled his head away and watched Lucy's eyes roll back while a long moan ripped from her once he let go. "I want to show you something." He ran his nose along the valley between her breasts and up along the pulsing vein in her neck to nibble lightly on her ear. Gajeel lightly slid his hands down her slender arms, lacing his fingers with hers and slowly moved them up until they were pinned above her head. "Do you remember when I told you about my magic?" he asked, letting his lips brush over her cheek and grinning when she moaned and shivered.

"Yeah."

Gajeel cupped his hands over Lucy's while he brought his lips down onto hers, gently kissing her while he started channeling his magic into his hands. Once he was done, he felt Lucy stiffen and wrap her fingers around what he'd made, and Gajeel pulled back to give her a wolfish grin while she pulled her hands down to stare wide-eyed at the piece of iron there.

Lucy looked from what was in her hands to Gajeel and back, her body instantly responding with a quiver of anticipation. "What… You… Huh?" she spluttered, a deep blush covering her cheeks. She nervously nibbled on her lower lip while she lightly ran a finger over the piece of iron, feeling every dip between the ridges of it as she traveled from one end to the other, then lightly circling the rounded ends before moving back across it. She instantly noted how heavy it was, then again it was iron so that was to be expected, but what caught her by surprise was just how close Gajeel had made its size to what she knew he had hidden away in his pants. Seeing it like this sent a flood of heat pooling in her belly, and Lucy could feel her arousal already starting to coat her folds in preparation for what she knew was coming. She knew exactly what he had made it for, but Lucy wondered why he would want to do something like this when he'd been ready and raring to fuck her brains out as soon as they walked into her apartment.

Gajeel lowered his head again and carefully pried her lip from between her teeth, sucking it into his own mouth with a soft moan. "If you don't like it, we'll stop," he whispered against her lips, gently taking her hand and slowly sliding it between their bodies until the piece of iron was gliding over her sex. "Okay?"

Lucy whimpered into the kiss when Gajeel's tongue delved into her mouth, successfully distracting her from the way he was guiding her hand and that iron rod he'd made over her glistening core. He eased her into relaxation, never moving too quickly, and Lucy wrapped her free arm around his neck and tangled her hand in his hair. Each pass of the iron over her had Lucy arching her body, feeling each ridge slide effortlessly against her clit and between her lower lips. She gasped when Gajeel's legs spread hers wider than before, his hand angling hers so her entrance was prodded and circled. "Okay," she moaned against his mouth, gasping when he growled approvingly and slowly invaded her with what he'd made.

Gajeel carefully guided her hand back and forth, pushing the piece of iron further and further into her with each stroke until it was seated firmly in her sex. "That's it," he rasped, sliding both hands along her hips and up to tease her breasts by running his thumbs over her pert nipples. "I wanna see what you like." When Lucy hesitated, Gajeel lightly nipped at her lips with his teeth, then roughly pinched her nipples between his fingers with a moan spilling from him. "Show me just how you like it, Bunny."

Lucy moaned as she picked up the slow and careful pace Gajeel had started her out on. It wasn't her first time pleasuring herself, but it was the first time she'd used anything more than her own fingers, and definitely the first time she'd had someone with her while she did it. Lucy honestly felt a little self-conscious about the whole thing, but Gajeel was nothing less than attentive to her every sensitive spot while she worked the metal between her legs. When his lips left hers, Lucy moaned again while she stared into his gleaming ruby eyes that were swimming with excitement and arousal, and started moving just a little faster. Her climax began building back up, slowly but much more intensely than before, and Lucy's eyes stayed locked onto his while Gajeel grinned and lowered his head to her chest again. His lips wrapped around her pebbled peak and he lightly sucked and nibbled at it, hovering over her so she still had room to move. It was definitely an entirely new sensation, a whole series of them if she was being honest with herself: the hardness of the metal, the warmth it had radiated from being newly made, how each ridge along its length was vaguely reminiscent of the piercings that ran through Gajeel's shaft that teased all the right places inside of her, and how thrilling it was to have him with her while she was doing something like this. "Oh, Gajeel," Lucy moaned loudly, tentatively rolling her hips and gasping at how the iron pushed roughly against her walls with its unyielding sturdiness. She tried again and cried out when warmth shot through her entire body, the coil inside winding just a little faster.

Gajeel growled his approval again and again with each moan and curse Lucy let out, and kissed a searing path down her stomach before hovering over her golden curls, watching as that piece of his magic started moving faster and faster as she brought herself to her end. Just the sight of her slender fingers gripping that metal so tightly, how her wrist rotated slightly every time she withdrew it, had Gajeel harder than ever and on the verge of forgetting all about his desire to see this and ravaging her with his own cock for hours on end. "Fuck," he rasped, lowering his head and roughly sucking her sensitive pearl into his mouth. Lucy's back arched as she cried out his name, and she surprised Gajeel when she pulled his hand from her breast and placed it on the iron between her legs.

"Do it, Gajeel," Lucy rasped, wrapping her hand around his while he held onto the iron rod. "Fuck me with your metal."

He groaned against her sex and started a relentless pace, alternating swirls and flicks of his tongue over her with rough thrusts into her core that had Lucy screaming in seconds. The way her demand had come out of her—harsh, breathless, dripping with desire—made it so that Gajeel was more than willing to please her every whim. His inner dragon growled in delight, a wide grin on its face, and started repeating what she'd said, emphasizing how she wanted  _his_  metal. It wasn't the fact that she wanted him to get her off, it was that she wanted him to use an extension of himself to do it.  _Fucking hell,_  he thought absently,  _I never thought this would be so hot._

"Shit," Lucy cried out, her eyes wide and wild as her limbs started to tense up from her fingers and toes, slowly moving towards her center. "Just like that, Gajeel. Oh, fuck…"

Gajeel growled against her again, feeling himself losing the battle to keep a tight leash on his wilder side so he didn't hurt her like this. He knew that his iron was completely different from what she was used to, hard and solid with no give whatsoever, and the last thing he wanted was for Lucy to be in pain because he lost control. His teeth and tongue dragged over her clit, starting to move frantically when her hands tangled in his hair and held him tightly to her body. Gajeel's eyes raked over her body—the swell of her hips, her deliciously small waist, her full breasts bouncing in time with each plunge of the metal into her soaking depths—and finally landed on Lucy's flushed face that was the picture of erotic pleasure. Her heaving breaths, the sound of his metal roughly pounding into her slick folds, and her cries of pure unadulterated pleasure had Gajeel's body heating up in ways he'd never known possible without being nestled in the tight, velvety passage of the woman on the bed. He snarled wildly, the last shreds of his control barely within his grasp, when her grip on his hair tightened and she ripped him from her core to crash his lips to hers.

Lucy's cries were lost in the heated kiss with Gajeel while his tongue swirled around hers, the taste of her arousal so potent it made her lightheaded. The warmth and tension in her limbs had finally reached her center, and he seemed to know it when he growled and started plunging the metal rod faster and harder. Gajeel was just close enough that his chest brushed against her pert nipples with each of her heaving breaths, and when Lucy's hands moved down to his shoulders, she couldn't help but appreciate how his muscles rippled with every move he made.

Gajeel pulled away to stare deeply into her eyes, wanting to see her just as she fell over the edge. With a wicked grin, he asked, "Do you like it, Bunny?"

Lucy nodded quickly, her body tensing and ready to crest that peak at any second as the coil inside of her kept winding.

"Tell me," Gajeel groaned, pulling the iron completely out of her before ramming it back in over and over. "How much do you like my metal inside of you?"

"Fuck!" Lucy cried out, her eyes rolling back as he left her completely empty only to fill her to the brim in a rough stroke. Lucy held her body in place, even though she wanted nothing more than to roll her hips wantonly and grind against that thick metal rod, and was lost in the sensation of how tightly her core was gripping each ridge that rubbed swiftly over her. "I… I love it, Gajeel."

"What do you love, Bunny?" he asked, his voice lower and nearly feral. He pushed the iron back in and held it as deeply as possible for only a moment, then started twisting it slightly. He reveled in the gasp and curses she let out when he started a series of short quick strokes deep within her, still twisting and turning the iron to brush over different sensitive areas in her clenching sex.

"I… Oh god…" Lucy panted, her nails digging into his back enough to break the skin and cause his growl to rumble through her body. "I… love… your metal."

Gajeel's inner dragon roared in some unknown triumph when he heard those words. "Good, Bunny," he rasped, his teeth dragging across her jaw roughly. He picked up the relentless pace once more, groaning in time with her pants and moans as he pushed to her new heights before she found her release. "Now show me how much you love it." When her body tensed up and her breath stalled, he growled and pulled back to watch her while he thrust the iron back into her as deeply as she could handle, holding it in place and circling her clit with his thumb to finally throw her over the edge.

Lucy's eyes went wide while she kept her gaze locked with Gajeel's, her back arching, and her sex tightening painfully around the metal nestled deep within her as she shot up into the heavens once his thumb brushed over her. Her nails dragged down Gajeel's back, tearing into him while she screamed his name, and her whole body was wracked with earth-shattering spasms. She knew she'd never been this loud before, but with how hard that piece of metal was and how the calloused pad of Gajeel's finger kept circling over her, there was no way for her body to stop the climax from drawing out longer than usual while it unsuccessfully tried to pull the iron further into her. By the time she floated back down, she could feel his body pressed against hers while he slowly stroked her quivering core with the metal rod. A violent shudder ran through her when Gajeel carefully pulled the metal from her, and Lucy clutched herself tightly to him as if she might float away when another long moan spilled from her lips.

While he would have loved nothing more than to see her reaction to him licking every bit of her arousal from that piece of metal, Gajeel unceremoniously dropped it off the side of the bed and wrapped his arms around the whimpering and quaking woman that was holding onto him with everything she was worth. He lowered his head to nestle his nose in the crook of her neck, taking in the decadent scent he'd missed so much while she was away that was mixed with her sweat, and growling happily when she mewled in pleasure. He never realized just how accustomed he'd grown to how relaxing Lucy's scent was until he didn't have it surrounding him constantly. He'd considered dropping his pants and slamming himself into her while she was still recovering from her orgasm so he could finally relieve the ache that had plagued him for a week, but now he was perfectly content to just feel Lucy's shaking body wrapped in his embrace and breathe in nothing but sugar-and-almonds. Every brush of Lucy's body against his—her breasts, arms, thighs, even her nose along his shoulder—had her softly moaning while she tried to catch her breath. "Holy hell, Bunny," he whispered with a soft smile, carefully brushing his fingers through her hair, "You have no idea how fucking beautiful you are."

Lucy's eyes started to water, her body betraying her entirely when she tried to hold them at bay and they freely trickled down her face. "Gajeel," she whispered happily, pulling back enough to press her trembling lips to his. She felt his hands move to gently cup her cheeks, his thumbs brushing over them to rid her of her tears. Renewed and invigorating warmth spread slowly through her, starting in her chest and cascading through every fiber of her being while she kissed him. She had been called beautiful before by other men, but something about it coming from this man in particular made it feel even more special. Maybe it was the soft tone of his voice, how she could hear the sincerity of it in every word. Most likely, it was the fact that even while saying something perfect and sweet in such a tender moment, Gajeel was still cursing just like he always did.

Gajeel pulled back slowly and saw her shining eyes, then smiled softly down at Lucy while he ran his nose along hers. "Don't cry, Bunny," he whispered. "I hate seeing you cry."

Lucy brought a shaking hand to his cheek, smiling up at the softened red eyes that seemed to see right into her soul. "Happy tears, you silly Dragon," she whispered back. "That's the first time you've intentionally called me that…" It was true, the only time she'd heard him say something about her looks that wasn't about her being sexy, or hot, or edible was in the rain when neither of them could keep their thoughts to themselves. Ever since then, Gajeel never said it and Lucy had wondered if it was just a momentary and fleeting thought.

"What, beautiful?" Gajeel asked. When Lucy nodded, he felt his cheeks heating up in a deep blush, then leaned down to press another tender kiss to her swollen lips. "You are. I didn't see it until we were behind that waterfall, but I haven't been able to see anything else since."

Lucy sniffled and laughed lightly, then wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. She wanted to feel all of him pressed against her, and when Lucy realized Gajeel's pants were still in the way, she pulled back with a small pout.

Gajeel chuckled and raised an eyebrow at her in question. "What's wrong?"

"Your pants," Lucy said, "They're ruining my fun."

"If I take my pants off now, I'm not gonna be able to keep my dick to myself," Gajeel said with a smirk.

"Exactly," Lucy said with a sultry smile, "Ruining my fun." When Gajeel laughed and pulled back so he could remove the last of his clothing, Lucy smirked and said, "I want  _your_  iron rod, Gajeel."

Raising an intrigued eyebrow, Gajeel threw his clothes off into the room and sank down between her still spread legs. He propped himself up on one elbow and laced the fingers of his other hands with hers before pressing her knuckles to his lips. When he heard Lucy giggle, Gajeel peeked up at her from beneath his lashes and saw her lightly nibbling on her lip while she smiled down at him. "I don't know," he teased softly, moving so his lips hovered over hers, "You think you're ready for me?"

Lucy closed the distance between them and captured him in a tender kiss while Gajeel slowly coated himself in her arousal. "I'm always ready for my Dragon," she answered huskily, moaning when his lips pressed to hers more insistently and his tongue slid against hers in a battle that had her moaning again. Lucy gasped when his flared head started prodding her entrance, and she pulled back just enough to ask, "Will you give me what I want?"

"Any time you want it," he groaned as he finally pushed into her sex, his breath pushing out of him quickly when she tightened around him for a moment.

Lucy nibbled on her lower lip, carefully rolling her hips when they were fully joined. "I think you should show me what your metal is really like some time," she said, smiling when his head dropped to her shoulder and he peppered her with soft kisses while he carefully pulled back.

"What do you mean?" he asked, keeping a slow pace regardless of how badly his body was screaming to force her into another climax right then. No matter what his body wanted, Gajeel refused to lose even a single moment or touch that he could have with Lucy. She'd been away from him for only a week, seven measly days, but he'd been on edge and restless the entire time. Now, all Gajeel wanted was to savor every bit of the beautiful woman in his arms, and to hear her say those words again.  _"I'm always ready for my Dragon."_ He never thought something as simple as that small possessive word would make his heart skip a beat like it had, but once Lucy started speaking again he couldn't even dwell on his body's reaction to it.

"I mean, you're  _all_  metal with your scales on," Lucy said huskily. "I wanna know just how good you can make me feel like that."

Gajeel groaned and rocked his hips, his breath stuttering for a second when she rippled around him and moaned. "You sure?" he asked softly.  _Who would have thought that she'd want to try something like that?,_  he thought incredulously. Lucy just kept surprising him with her willingness to see just how much she could handle and how much he could please her. Her curiosity about his magic was astounding, even more so since Gajeel had never met a woman that was so intrigued by his brand of crazy.

"Definitely," Lucy answered, sliding her free hand over his back and kneading her fingers into his muscles while they bunched and contracted with each careful thrust. "Not tonight, but some time."

Gajeel grinned and kissed her swollen lips again, then said, "You're seriously insane, Bunny."

Lucy rolled her hips and smirked when Gajeel moaned, then said, "Fine, but I'm  _your_  insane Bunny."

"Keep talking like that, and I'll bite you again," Gajeel growled as fire flared in his veins. Lucy was healed enough by this point that it was safe for him to bite her without instantly losing control of his magic. If he had bitten her any sooner, then his instincts would have taken over and forced his magic into the bite. While half of him was perfectly fine with having a feisty, hot blonde that was as adventurous as he was in bed as his mate, the other half was violently recoiling from the thought of being mated at all. Besides, he hadn't even considered Lucy as a potential mate for himself, so she didn't know anything about what could happen if he didn't keep himself in control of the situation. One slip-up was all it would take for the two of them to be irrevocably tied to one another forever, and that wasn't something Gajeel wanted to chance. If he was going to settle down one day—which was something he seriously doubted would ever happen—then Gajeel would do it the right way by telling the woman what she was getting herself into, and then letting her decide for herself if she really wanted to be with him.

"Mmm, I hope that's a promise," Lucy moaned, then gasped when Gajeel angled his hips slightly and continued with his slow pace. "So, you like it when I talk like that?" she asked as she looked up at him, finally noticing how his wild black mane of hair was creating a perfect curtain around them.

Gajeel smirked down at her, getting lost in her eyes and never wanting to find his way out of them again. "Maybe I do," he answered, lightly squeezing the dainty hand that was intertwined with his much larger one and running his thumb over hers. He watched Lucy's eyes soften, and the emotion he hadn't been able to name at the waterfall crossed over her face again, settling in and taking his breath away.

* * *

Gajeel leaned down and chuckled while he licked the fresh bite wound on Lucy's shoulder, already feeling that same strange high settling into his marrow and spreading through him like molasses. "Told you," he whispered when he pulled back up to look into her dazed face.

"Told me what?" Lucy asked, sliding her hands all along his skin and feeling each of the scars on him raising up as if they were small mountain ranges.

"That I'd bite you again if you kept talking like that, little Bunny," Gajeel answered with a lazy grin. He shuddered when her hands carefully pushed his hair over his shoulder to reveal the bite she'd left on him, and instantly moved so she could reach it and quell the flowing blood. "Mmm," he moaned happily when her tongue dragged over his tender flesh, "Your tongue is the best thing ever."

Lucy giggled and licked a path up his throat to his lips, then lightly kissed him. "I think yours is better," she whispered, "Especially that piercing. Mm, mm, mm."

"I could give you one, Bunny," Gajeel said, "Anywhere you want."

"Will you give yourself a new one, too?" Lucy asked with a little smirk.

Gajeel frowned and slowly withdrew himself, pulling Lucy on top of him while he rolled onto his back. "I don't know where I could put another one," he answered.

Lucy sat up quickly with a wide grin. "I do!" she nearly shouted. "How about… I pick yours and you pick mine?"

"I don't know," Gajeel teased. When Lucy pouted at him, her lower lip trembling lightly and her eyes wide, Gajeel grinned and nodded. "Okay, you talked me into it!"

Lucy giggled, her fake pout instantly disappearing and giving way to a sweet smile. "I didn't say anything, though."

"Sure, you did," Gajeel answered while he lightly massaged her legs, "Your face told me."

Lucy's hands shot up and covered her face. "Nuh-uh!" she shouted through her hands, shaking her head roughly and falling off of Gajeel in the process. She squeaked as she tipped over to one side, clamping her eyes shut while she waited to hit the floor, and immediately felt a strong arm wrapping around her and pulling her close to his chest.

"Silly, Bunny," Gajeel laughed.

Lucy peeked one eye open and looked up into the bright smile on Gajeel's face, then dramatically said, "My hero! However can I repay you?"

Gajeel nuzzled Lucy's hair and kissed her temple. "I don't know. How about a kiss?"

Lucy pushed herself up and cupped Gajeel's cheeks while she brought her lips to his. She felt the strong bones in his jaw working while he deepened the kiss, and Lucy moaned softly when she felt the small iron piercing dragging across her lips. Gajeel's hands slid over her legs to her hips, and the light contact left Lucy breathless while her whole body lit up with goosebumps. Her tongue swooped lazily into his mouth, and yet again the contact of her tongue against his and the flavor their blood mixing together put Lucy into overdrive. She ground herself against him, her hands tangling roughly in his hair, and a guttural moan spilled from her.

Gajeel's hands mindlessly moved over her body, from her hips to her legs and up her back to gently cup her neck when she pulled away. He panted while he looked up into her hungry and dazed eyes, sucking his lower lip into his mouth to pull every bit of how she tasted from it. "I think your debt's been repaid," he finally whispered with a smirk.

Lucy nodded slowly, blinking repeatedly to clear her mind of the haze she'd gotten trapped in. "Yeah," she said with another nod.

"So, my little Bunny… A piercing?" Gajeel asked excitedly. When Lucy shook her head to clear away her thoughts (or lack thereof) and grinned at him, Gajeel quickly sat up with her still settled in his lap. "Do you want yours first?"

Lucy smirked and shook her head. "No, I wanna see yours first."

"Okay, where am I getting a new piercing?" Gajeel asked, biting his lower lip excitedly. He watched Lucy slowly slide backwards, her hands trailing down his chest until they rested over his hips.

"You said they  _could_  be pierced," Lucy whispered. "Will you do it?"

"How many?"

Lucy tilted her head in thought, then held up three fingers. "Three each, like your arms."

Gajeel chuckled and quickly kissed Lucy before he moved to kneel on the bed in front of her. He looked down at his hips and placed a hand on each one, between the v-shaped definition in his muscles and the bone, then looked at Lucy and winked while he started channeling his magic. There were three distinct pinches on each side when he created the small piercings directly in his skin, but within seconds the pain faded into nothingness and Gajeel cut off his magic then removed his hands.

Lucy's eyes widened and her jaw dropped open when she saw the newest additions to Gajeel's body. Just like on his arms, there were three separate iron piercings in each hip that were separated by a little more than an inch. They were perfectly in line with that delicious cut in his muscles that always made her drool, and angled in a way that seemed to even accentuate it. "Do they hurt?" she asked, raising a hand and hovering over them carefully.

Gajeel grinned as he pulled her hand to his hip, moaning softly when her fingers danced lightly over the still sensitive skin. "Not anymore," he whispered.

Lucy glanced up at his face, then smirked at him and leaned forward. She pressed a soft kiss to each piercing, then said, "Well, I love them. They're perfect."

Gajeel blushed and sat back down on the bed, then pulled Lucy into his lap again. "Well, they're yours," he said finally.

"Mine?"

Gajeel nodded enthusiastically. "Bunny-Approved!" he shouted. "Best piercings yet. I even got kisses for them."

Lucy giggled and kissed his nose, then said, "Well, I had to make them feel better."

"You ready for yours, Bunny?"

Lucy nodded and asked, "Where am I getting it?"

"I know just the place," Gajeel whispered. "But, first… Do you want it to look like anything?"

Lucy leaned in to whisper in Gajeel's ear, a soft smile on her face. When she pulled back, to look at him hopefully she saw the biggest smile yet stretched across his face while he nodded repeatedly. She squealed in surprise when his lips crashed over hers, but instantly melted into him while her arms wrapped around his neck.

Gajeel carefully laid Lucy down on the bed, then slowly kissed a path down to her navel. He grinned up at her and said, "Right here." When Lucy giggled and nodded, Gajeel sat up on his knees and pulled one of her hands into his grasp, then used the other to carefully pinch the skin on the top of her belly button. "Squeeze if it hurts, okay Bunny?" he asked softly.

"Okay," Lucy answered, her eyes glued to Gajeel's fingers as he started channeling his magic into them. There was a sharp, piercing pain that caused her to squeeze his hand until he finally cut off his magic a minute later. She watched Gajeel's hand glide across her stomach while he leaned down and kissed the new piercing, closing his eyes and lifting one corner of his mouth into a smirk.

Gajeel opened his eyes slowly while he pulled away from Lucy's stomach, and smiled down at the little iron piercing she'd asked him to give her. Instead of a ball on each end like he normally would have done, there was a small dragon's head that bore a striking resemblance to Metallicana in place on the top of the piercing, and then a dragon's body complete with wings on the bottom. He couldn't believe she had asked him for a dragon, but if that's what Lucy wanted then that was what she would get.

"How does it look?" Lucy asked curiously, lifting her head to get a better look at the new piercing.

"Perfect," Gajeel answered softly while he looked up at her. He lightly tugged on her hand to help her sit up and kissed her knuckles. "What do you think, Bunny?"

Lucy carefully prodded the new piercing, wincing slightly when there was a small burst of pain. It was to be expected, but she hoped it wouldn't take too long to heal completely. She grinned when she saw the dragon, and said, "You're right, it's perfect." She looked up at Gajeel and kissed him gently. "Always always, right?"

Gajeel smiled and nodded at her. "Definitely."

"Now I've got proof that you'll always be my dragon," Lucy giggled, pointing playfully at her navel.

Gajeel's smile faltered, his face turning pensive, and he asked, "That's why you wanted it?"

Lucy giggled again and nodded happily, bouncing lightly on the bed in her excitement. "Yeah!" she said with a wide grin, "And now when I'm not right next to you, I'll still have you with me. I'll never be dragon-less again!" Lucy's hands flew up into the air, and if she could have managed it, she would have twirled in happy little circles right then.

Gajeel grinned at her, warmth blooming in his chest in huge waves that crashed through the rest of his body. He lunged forward, tackling the gorgeous blonde to the bed and nuzzling her neck while a contented growl rumbled in his chest.

"Gajeel, you're purring again," Lucy whispered as she wrapped her arms around him.

"No, I'm not," he answered with a small pout as he looked up at her.

Lucy gave him a pointed look and said, "Yes you are. That's what it sounds like." She ran her fingers through his hair, lightly dragging her nails across his scalp, and smiled when Gajeel's nose dropped to her neck again and the purring noise increased. "See? Purring. It's okay, I like it."

"You do?" he asked uncertainly, moving to the other side of her neck and inhaling her scent again and again.

"Of course I do," Lucy said as she rubbed her cheek along his. "You only do it when you're happy, so if it's happening then I know that's how you feel."

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"Well, the first time you did it was while we were sleeping right after the mission," Lucy said with a reminiscent smile. "I started rubbing the piercings in your arm, and it got louder when I held your hand."

"So,  _you_  did that?" Gajeel asked with a sly smile. "I thought I grabbed your hand in my sleep."

Lucy giggled and shook her head. "Nope, that was me. You did it again the last time you bit me. So what made you happy this time?"

"You did," Gajeel answered softly. He moved so his head was lying on her chest, his ear pressed just above her heart, and lightly squeezed her with a contented sigh. "You wanna keep me with you, Bunny. Why wouldn't I be happy about that?"

Lucy blushed and pressed a kiss to the top of Gajeel's head. "Well, of course I want to keep you with me. What kind of Bunny would I be if I didn't have my Dragon with me?"

Gajeel smirked and said teasingly, "You'd be a  _very_  bad Bunny."

"But, I'm a good Bunny!" Lucy said in earnest. "See? Look at my tummy, it's got 'Good Bunny' written all over it now!"

Gajeel lifted his head and looked down at Lucy's stomach, smiling when he saw the piercing again. "I don't see it," he said. "Where does it say that?"

"Right here!" Lucy shouted with a wide smile, pointing at her navel. "It says it!"

"I don't know," Gajeel teased, "My eyes are pretty good, and I don't see it."

Lucy pouted at him, then grabbed his hair with both hands and forced his head down to her stomach until her navel was directly in his line of sight, merely an inch away. "Right  _here_ , Gajeel. See? 'Good Bunny'!"

Gajeel laughed, crossing his eyes to keep the little iron dragon in focus. "Oh," he drawled, "I see it now." When he heard Lucy's light laughter, Gajeel's tongue snaked out and flattened over her taut stomach, traveling from just above her golden curls to her navel.

Lucy squeaked in surprise and pulled his head away from her, staring wide-eyed at the devious grin on Gajeel's face. "What was that for?"

"Just checking," Gajeel answered. "You taste like a good Bunny, too."

Lucy laughed and said, "Have you tasted many bad Bunnies?"

Gajeel frowned and shook his head fervently. "No, you're the only Bunny for me."

"Then how do you know I taste like a good Bunny and not a bad one?"

"Because I know you're a good Bunny," Gajeel answered simply. "You're sweet and nice. You smell amazing, and taste even better. You're beautiful, and smart… And you understand me… Of course you're a good Bunny. Probably the best one out there."

Lucy's smile softened with each heartfelt word that passed Gajeel's lips, and she slowly sat up until her chest was pressed against his. "I'm really glad I met you, Gajeel," she whispered happily.

Gajeel captured her lips briefly before saying, "I'm glad I met you too."

 


	9. Arc 1: How Much?

 

"Gajeel," Lucy whispered with a small smile, "Did you want to tell me why you like smelling me so much now?"

Gajeel grinned and wrapped his arms more tightly around Lucy's waist, pressing his chest to her back and nuzzling the second bite he'd given her that night. "I told you already though," he whispered while one hand slid slowly up and down her waist, "It's relaxing."

Lucy giggled and rolled over in his embrace to look up into his eyes. "You said there was more to it than that," she said, "And you told me to ask next time you bit me."

Gajeel chuckled and kissed her forehead. "You're memory is too good sometimes," he whispered with a small pout. When he looked down to see her smiling softly up at him, he said, "I don't have a lot of memories of what my life was like before Metallicana found me, but your scent reminds me of when my mom used to bake. I didn't realize it at first, and I just thought you smelled really good and that it was relaxing, but a couple weeks ago I figured it out."

"That's really sweet, Gajeel," Lucy whispered, her smile widening when she saw a light blush on his cheeks.

"It makes me happy, Bunny," Gajeel continued while he nestled his nose in her hair. "Smelling you makes me forget about everything that's gone wrong in my life. That's why it's so relaxing—I'm not worried about everything else, so I can focus on being with you."

Lucy wrapped her arms tightly around Gajeel's waist and brushed her nose back and forth over his chest. "Gajeel," she whispered, "Do you care about me?"

"More than I care about anyone else," Gajeel answered.

"But, you don't care about anyone, so that doesn't really count," Lucy pouted. "Come on, tell me."

"I don't know how else to say it, Bunny."

"Okay," Lucy said with a nod, "How about you tell me the one thing you want more than anything else in the world, aside from finding your dad?"

Gajeel didn't even let himself think over her question, and instead just answered with the first thing that popped into his head. "All I've ever wanted was for someone to care enough not to leave me."

Lucy smiled and lightly kissed his chest, then whispered, "I care about you, Gajeel. A whole lot."

"You do?"

"Yeah," Lucy said with a deep blush on her cheeks.

"Well… me too," Gajeel said slowly. "I care about you a whole lot too, Bunny." He paused and smiled when he felt Lucy hum happily and kiss his chest again. "What about you? What do you want more than anything else?"

"To be accepted for who I am..." Lucy whispered sadly.

Gajeel frowned and rolled so Lucy was lying on his chest, and slowly slid up the bed until his back was against her headboard. "What do you mean?" he asked, sliding his hands slowly up and down her back.

Lucy shrugged and said, "I told you that my mom was the one that really understood me. But my dad was the exact opposite. He hated magic, and tried to keep me away from it. He even had me locked in my room while he hid my mom's keys from me a few times, then always 'forgot' I was locked up for a long time. He wanted me to be just like him, and do what he wanted… I couldn't be myself when I still lived at home."

"So, what happened?" Gajeel asked with a frown. He couldn't remember Lucy ever having told him about anyone from her past aside from her mother, and the fact that she had a father that had been in her life at all was completely surprising to him. With the way Lucy always smiled while talking about her mother, Gajeel had thought that the woman was the only parental figure she had.

Lucy slowly pulled herself away and looked deeply into Gajeel's eyes. "Promise you won't be mad?" she whispered, nibbling nervously on her lower lip. When Gajeel nodded, Lucy sighed and kept her gaze locked on his while she finally told him about the one thing she kept to herself. "I've never told anyone what my real name is, aside from Master Jose. It's Lucy Heartfilia… My dad is Jude Heartfilia, one of the richest and most powerful people in Fiore."

"So, you're one of those high class people?" Gajeel asked incredulously, furrowing his brow when Lucy flinched and wrapped her arms around herself as if she was trying to hide. Gajeel finally realized why her name had sounded so familiar when Master Jose had showed him her file before their mission—this was one of the wealthiest girls in the country, and her father had connections out the wazoo. He couldn't see Lucy as being anything other than herself, so it was hard to try and imagine her in a ball gown with expensive fabric, perfect and rigid posture, completely emotionless aside from coy smiles and batting eyelashes. That wasn't who Lucy was at all.

Lucy nodded. "I ran away from home a few months before I joined the guild. I can't stand how everyone in high society acts like they're better than everyone else, and my dad has been trying to marry me off for the past two years so he can make money off of it. He doesn't care about what I want—that I wanted to be a mage, join a guild, and have freedom—only about his business. I'm just an asset to him, not his daughter. Once my mom died, he changed… I guess he used to be nicer when she was alive, but I don't really remember it. If I had stayed, he would have eventually forced me to marry some old pervert, and then I never would have seen my spirits again. He told me that he would keep my mother's keys once I was married, and that I wouldn't have any use for them anyway… He said it would be my duty to my future husband to care for our children, not to toy around with something as pointless as magic. That was all he ever said to me about my future: that it was my job to get married, keep my husband happy, and give him as many children as he wanted to further his own line. So, I ran away to find a place where someone would actually accept me… flaws and all…"

Gajeel frowned and carefully cupped Lucy's face in his hands, his thumbs gliding just under her eyes to brush away the tears that had started welling in them. He hated the idea of her being forced into something like that, having her choice of who she spent her life with ripped away.  _How could he say something like that?!_ From what Metallicana had taught Gajeel, he viewed relationships as fully equal—if Gajeel ever decided to mate, then the woman he spent his life with would have just as much say in their lives as he did. The way Lucy's father viewed it was that she was nothing more than a possession for some man to do with as he pleased once there was a ring on her finger. Forcing Lucy into a marriage, into a man's bed, and to bear his children when she didn't love him was the same in Gajeel's eyes as what those men in the mountains had tried to do to her. "I won't let that happen, Bunny," he whispered, every word that left him filled to the brim with both his anger that someone would try to take away her chance at a bright future and some emotion he was having trouble identifying right then.

"What do you mean?" she asked timidly. "If he ever finds a way to force me to go back…"

"He won't," Gajeel said with a soft and encouraging smile. "No one is gonna take my Bunny's choice away. You get to decide what you want out of life, not him. If he ever tries to take you away, I'll show him just what your Dragon is capable of."

"Y-You'd… really do that?" Lucy asked, unwrapping her arms from her middle to slide her hands up Gajeel's arms until they rested over his own on her cheeks. "You'd protect me?"

"Of course I will," he whispered. Everything seemed to move in slow motion while he leaned forward and brought his lips to hers in a tender kiss, gently moving his lips over the plump, trembling lips of the blonde in his lap while she tried to keep her emotions in check. Gajeel pulled back just enough to look into Lucy's eyes, instantly feeling like he'd fallen into those milk chocolate depths that swirled with so many emotions he could even begin to name them. "You got what you've always wanted, you know," he whispered, capturing her lips again and slowly moving his hands around to sift his fingers through her golden tresses.

Lucy let her hands wander over Gajeel's chest and slowly pulled away from him. "How so?" she asked.

"I mean you found what you're looking for, Bunny," Gajeel said with a soft smile. "You've got me."

"Y-You…" Lucy stuttered meekly, hope flaring in her chest that she wasn't as alone as she thought. "Flaws and everything else… You really…"

Gajeel grinned and nodded fervently. "Of course. We understand each other. It's hard as hell to find someone that's willing to deal with me at all, or that I can even stand being around. And…" Gajeel stopped and his eyes went wide when he realized just what he was about to say to her.

"And?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to the side. "Talk to me," she said earnestly when Gajeel stayed completely silent, staring at her in utter shock.

"And… I… I more than care about you, Bunny," Gajeel admitted, still completely astonished by where his mind had gone and the fact that everything in him was yelling at him to just tell her.

"… How much more?" Lucy asked. She squeaked when Gajeel pinned her to the bed and filled her core in one swift motion—silently wondering how she hadn't noticed how aroused he was before then. Her cries from his relentless and wild pace were muffled when his mouth slanted over hers, and there was nothing Lucy could possibly do to bring herself to care that she would definitely be sore later. She had no idea what had suddenly come over him, how he had gone from talking one moment to screwing her brains out the next, but he was ruthless right then in a way that Lucy had hardly known was possible. She ripped her mouth from Gajeel's and moaned when his hand dove between them to start circling her sensitive pearl with his thumb. "Gajeel!" she cried out, arching her back and trying to keep up when he started moving even faster. "Tell me… Please… Tell me."

Gajeel knew that there was only one way for him to actually admit it, to tell her what he'd apparently been itching to say for ages according to his inner dragon. He was scared as hell to do it, his whole body tensed and the small portion of his mind that was still normal—the part that was usually reeling over the things he said or did with Lucy while they were like this—was fighting with everything it had to keep the revelation to himself. He wanted to tell her, wanted it more than anything else in that moment, but his fear was holding him back. The only way for him to relax enough to say what he needed to was for Lucy to bite him for a third time that night, so that his fear would completely melt away. Gajeel growled and dragged his teeth roughly across Lucy's chest while he plunged into her soaking depths. "I'll tell you," he groaned, "But you have to… ngh… bite me again."

Lucy's eyes widened when she heard how deep Gajeel's voice had gotten, and her body shivered as it vibrated through her and sent shot after shot of pure pleasure to her core. "Wh-What?" she panted, tilting her head to the side when he moved up to roughly suck the skin on her neck into his mouth.

"Fuck, Bunny," Gajeel groaned as her walls tightened around him briefly while he palmed her breast, teasing her and letting the sounds of their bodies joining overwhelm him. He lifted her leg over his shoulder and angled his hips only for his eyes to roll back when her sex started to frantically flutter around him. "I'm…" he panted, pausing in his explanation while he got lost in how wonderful it felt to have her wrapped around him while his hips slammed against her, "I'm scared… mmph… To tell you… Oh, fuck!" Gajeel dropped her leg and grabbed her hips only to start pounding into her with everything he had, her wild screams spurring him on to keep pleasing her again and again. He fought against the pressure building inside of him with every powerful thrust into her, pushing down the urge to fill her right then so that he could give her another bite when she crested that peak with him.

Lucy wrapped an arm around Gajeel's neck and pulled him down into a searing kiss while that familiar tingling started washing over her limbs and made her thighs clench around his pistoning hips. She had never known Gajeel to be afraid of anything, and had honestly thought that the Slayer was incapable of something like that. Hearing him so openly admit that he was afraid to tell her something, that he needed her to bite him again so he could say it had Lucy's heart thudding painfully hard in her chest while her magic started swelling inside of her. It washed through her and mixed with the euphoria from her previous bites and the climax Gajeel was forcing to the surface. Everything inside of her was begging to be released—her magic, the swell of emotion at hearing his open confession, her orgasm—and Lucy's mind decided to focus on one thing that she'd always wanted to hear from him. She barely pulled back, her lips still brushing over his, and rasped, "Say my name, and I'll bite you." When Gajeel's eyes shot open to look at her in confusion, Lucy moaned and smiled. "Just once… I wanna hear you say it."

Gajeel grinned, knowing just how close the gorgeous blonde was to her own release while she tensed around him, and trailed a path of small bites across her jaw to her ear. With a feral growl rumbling from deep within him, Gajeel gave her just what she wanted. "Bite me," he growled, fighting back his own release until she found hers, "Lucy."

Lucy's body felt as if it had exploded into a million tiny motes of ecstasy when her name passed his lips; the single word that her entire identity was based on rumbled perfectly from him and shattered everything inside of her. Lucy screamed out a garbled and guttural version Gajeel's name until she felt his hand tangle in her hair and force her mouth to his unbitten shoulder. Just when Lucy's teeth sunk into him, she felt his own clamp down on her to give her the third bite of the night while he finally spilled over. Lucy couldn't find it in herself to let his shoulder go from her grasp while she panted and whimpered beneath him. When the high she'd been experiencing all night started to intensify more than she thought she could bear, Lucy felt the familiar wash of her magic coursing more intensely through her as if she was meditating.

For the first time in his life, Gajeel felt a sense of belonging wash through him when her blood burst across his tongue, and when he heard Lucy's ragged breathing and moans turn into soft and feminine growls he couldn't help but flex his hips again and again to keep those sounds coming. Once the first droplet of that sweet crimson liquid traveled down his throat, Gajeel's body lit up as every nerve ending seemed to awaken from some dulled sense of existence. His eyes slid closed while he let his body return to normal, and he was swept away by his other senses taking control. He didn't realize that the dragon inside of him was surfacing, forcing its own wild and terrifyingly low growls to escape his body. Gajeel was too caught up in how Lucy's sex spasmed in time with his pulsing shaft, the way her sweat-slicked skin rubbed perfectly against his own as he involuntarily started another slower round of sex, how the vibrations of her petite growls against his flesh zipped through him while the primal part of his brain instinctually suckled on her flesh to draw more of her blood into him.

Lucy felt as though she was slowly swirling down into a drain, pleasure washing over her in intensifying waves while she kept her teeth clamped on Gajeel. She tasted the purest metallic essence of him while his blood coated her teeth and slid lazily into her mouth, and when Lucy reflexively swallowed it her eyes rolled back and her tongue brushed over his skin to pull more of it into her. Her magic pulsed from deep within her, each pulse growing and shooting to her fingers and toes, causing Lucy's hips to roll against the still rigid shaft nestled deep within her.

Gajeel felt as though he was complete in that moment, holding Lucy in his arms and giving her everything he had to offer on a platter. His heart swelled, warm and comforting waves calmly rolling through him and carrying everything that he was out to her.

" _Make her yours,"_  his inner dragon whispered with a grin. " _Give yourself to her._ "

That was exactly what Gajeel wanted, felt it with every fiber of his being. He wanted Lucy in a way he'd never known possible. He wasn't scared or confused, and he felt every part of himself willingly giving in to the idea of letting her have his heart and soul if she wanted it. The dragon had the right idea as far as Gajeel was concerned, and he couldn't see any reason to hold himself back.

" _Just let it happen. Let her take you, care for you. She's what you need,"_  the dragon whispered.  _"She understands you. Cares about you. She sees what you see. Let go of everything, and give her what she needs."_

Gajeel growled again while his magic swelled inside of him, and he barely registered the resounding hum of Lucy's magic in her own body. He wanted to listen to the dragon; it had never steered him wrong before. Gajeel's mind clouded even further, the sweet scent of the blonde filling his lungs and making him lightheaded.

" _Yes,"_ the dragon whispered excitedly,  _"Mark her. Make her yours."_

Gajeel's eyes shot open and he quickly pulled his mouth away from Lucy when he realized his body was trying to force his magic into the bite. "Shit," he muttered, looking over to see that she was already lost in the aftermath of what they'd done. He sucked in a sharp breath when some strange tingling sensation started spreading from his newest bite, and the fingers that were still threaded through Lucy's hair tightened while he unconsciously pressed her closer to him. Before he could get lost entirely in the new sensation that was trickling into him, Gajeel noticed that her teeth were still buried in his shoulder. His eyes widened and he nuzzled her hair with his nose while carefully pulling her away. "Careful," he whispered, when he heard her moan and felt Lucy trying to move back in to bite him again, "You can't bite me now, Bunny. Something bad will happen if you do."

Lucy moaned again and slowly opened her eyes to look into the blood red orbs above her while she licked her lips. "But you taste so good," she rasped, smiling seductively up at Gajeel. "I want more."

Gajeel felt as if he would melt right then with the way she was looking at him, and the intense heat that spread through him only heightened the longer he stared into her sated eyes. "So help me clean up," he answered in a low growl, grinning when she shivered, "Just don't bite."

"I can taste you though?" she asked hopefully, leaning up and lightly running her tongue over the bite mark she'd just left.

"All you want," Gajeel groaned, dropping his head to lightly lap up the excess blood on her own shoulder. He gasped when he realized Lucy had decided to give him a hickey over the bite mark, and when her hands started gliding over his back and down towards his rear before moving up again, Gajeel couldn't suppress the large shudder that ran through him or the approving growl that escaped his lips.

Lucy pulled back, circling her tongue around the wound one last time before she admired her handiwork and kissed a path up Gajeel's throat to his jaw. She couldn't stop her hands from moving over every inch of him, feeling small erotic sparks fly from his body to hers and sending her own in return if the way he was moving was any indication. Gajeel's hands travelled everywhere they could reach, slowly kneading every muscle he came across before his arms barred around her waist and his lips captured hers.

Gajeel rolled them over, with Lucy lying on top of him and keeping himself nestled inside of her, and his hands slid down to her hips to start slowly grinding her against the arousal that hadn't diminished even with his release. He had known that having more than one bite would increase the intensity of the high they were feeling, but he never realized that each of them having three bites in a single night would make this much of a difference in their ability to let one another go. There wasn't a single part of him that was worried right then about how close he had come to marking her permanently, and all he wanted was to feel every inch of her quiver under his touch. Lucy was the only thing on his mind at that point, but he couldn't tell how much of it was from his recent realization and how much was from the bite.

Lucy's laugh was low and husky while she pulled back to look at Gajeel, intentionally rolling her hips and nearly collapsing when she felt each individual piercing in his shaft send pleasure crashing through her. "Ready to go again, huh?" she purred.

"God yes," Gajeel groaned, pulling Lucy back down to him while he still kept a slow pace with her. When he thought about telling her what he'd realized, Gajeel found that he'd been right before—the sane and normal part of his mind was awash in pleasure right then, and wasn't putting up a fight. "Did you still want to know?" he asked, pressing a soft kiss to her lips and moaning when he felt her quickly suck his lower lip into her mouth.

"Yes."

Gajeel flexed his hips and pushed her down onto his shaft forcefully, causing Lucy's eyes to fly open. He slowed right back down and brought a hand to her face, gently cupping her cheek. "I more than care, Bunny," he whispered, forcing his gaze to stay locked on hers and the haze in his head to clear just enough to focus on her every reaction.

"How much more?" Lucy asked again, her breath stalling in her throat from the strange new emotion that filled Gajeel's eyes while he looked at her. It was the same look he'd given her while they were behind the waterfall, and Lucy had a feeling that she was about to find out just what it meant.

Gajeel kissed her one more time, then finally admitted what he'd been too afraid to say before. "I love you, Bunny."

Lucy's eyes went wide, her jaw dropped open, and her brain and heart completely stopped working. Her heart started working first, instantly melting into a pathetic little puddle and spreading warmth through her before it reformed and skipped several beats erratically. Her mind was the next to come back, bringing memories of every time that Gajeel had given her this same soft look she was now able to identify. Her brain wasn't fully functioning, especially now that she was sporting three fresh bite wounds from their night together, so all Lucy could do was let the news sink in and tell him what was on her mind. "I… I love you too," she whispered with a watery smile as tears she wasn't aware of started flowing freely down her cheeks.

Gajeel grinned up at the crying blonde and wiped her tears away while he pulled her into another long, tender kiss. She'd made him wait all of two seconds before she answered him, and the fact that he'd been scared to tell her in the first place seemed silly now that he knew it wasn't one-sided. He was absolutely ecstatic, and all he could do was bask in the perfection that was this moment. His dragon was right in a sense, and Gajeel knew it: he would give Lucy everything that he was if she wanted it, he would care for her just as he knew she would care for him, and nothing could stop him from letting her see just how much those three words passing her lips had meant to him. He may have held himself back from marking her, but Gajeel knew that if she wanted it then he'd willingly give her just that. There was only a bare remnant of his normal and sane mind that popped up right then, but all it told him was to wait it out and give her time, to be cautious because he couldn't bear to lose someone he loved again. He slowly rolled onto his side, keeping one of Lucy's legs pulled over his, and allowed himself to do just what he wanted. Gajeel's lips never left hers while he moved slowly and carefully with her, holding tightly onto the woman he cared for and never letting her go.

* * *

Lucy woke up the next morning feeling utterly spent in the most wonderful way possible, with only the barest remnants of the euphoric calm washing over her in small, lazy waves. She carefully slid her hand up Gajeel's side, and sighed while her fingers lightly trailed over each of his well-defined muscles. Keeping her eyes closed with a soft smile on her face, Lucy listened to the steady beating of Gajeel's heart and the purring noise he started making as her fingers kept moving over him while she remembered just what they had actually said the night before.

Gajeel tightened his grip on Lucy with the arm that was still wrapped around her, and lifted his head just enough to press a soft kiss to the top of her head. "Morning," he said with a lazy smile, his voice gravelly and his body completely exhausted.

"Mm," Lucy mumbled, turning her head slowly and kissing Gajeel's chest before snuggling closer to him.

"You alright?" Gajeel taunted half-heartedly, "I didn't break you, did I?"

"Mm," Lucy mumbled again, fighting the grin that wanted to spread across her face. Her eyes creaked open, and she tilted her head up to look at Gajeel, inhaling his metal-and-cinnamon scent while she stretched. Once she saw the amused and gleaming red eyes barely peeking out from between his mostly closed eyelids, Lucy smiled lazily up at Gajeel. "Not broken," she whispered, "Just tired."

"Really?" Gajeel said with a small smirk. He purred—yes, he was fully willing to admit it sounded that way after the night before when Lucy had successfully called him out on it—when Lucy's hand moved down to his hip and started slowly circling his newest piercings. "Why would you be tired?"

Lucy frowned and was barely able to manage a glare at Gajeel while she lightly smacked his hip. Her eyebrows pushed together when he hissed in pain and quickly grabbed her hand, holding it tightly to his piercings. Lucy's eyes shot open completely when she realized what she'd done to hurt him, and she pulled away slightly to look down at the spot their hands were covering. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean to—"

Gajeel pulled Lucy closer and took a deep breath, forcing himself to ignore the stinging pain in his hip where Lucy had hit him. It had been a while since he'd given himself a new piercing, so he'd forgotten to tell her how sore he would actually be afterwards. Gajeel had told Lucy how to take care of her own piercing, every minute detail she would need to know so it didn't get infected, and even how long it would be tender. His own was on a whole other level when it came to pain; Lucy's went through a portion of her skin and came out the other side while Gajeel's was embedded in his skin and a small bit of his muscle. Instead of piercing himself normally, Gajeel knew that he would need to make them deeper because of how often he got into fights; if they were any shallower, then the piercings could easily be ripped out. "It's fine," he whispered through clenched teeth. "Just a little sore, Bunny."

Lucy frowned again, but still pressed closer to Gajeel when his hand finally released hers. She looked down at his exposed hip and carefully circled her finger around one of the piercings, her frown disappearing when Gajeel sighed and kissed her head again. "Better?" she asked while moving on to the next one.

"Mm-hmm," Gajeel answered, "I forgot to tell you that I'd be sore."

Lucy kissed Gajeel's chest again and said, "Well, you did say  _I_  would be sore, so it would make sense that you're sore too."

"You still never answered my question," Gajeel said with a smirk when she moved to circle the third piercing on his hip.

Lucy rolled her eyes and closed them, listening to the purring noise that had started back up for a minute. "I'm tired because we were up until four in the morning, fucking each other's brains out and acting like lunatics."

"Yeah, but you enjoyed yourself, didn't you?" Gajeel retorted smugly.

"I did," Lucy answered mid-yawn. "I just didn't realize that my Dragon had so much stamina. My legs still feel like limp noodles."

Gajeel chuckled and absently rubbed circles over Lucy's back. "You kept up with me, little Bunny. Just one more reason for the nickname—you keep going, and going, and going…"

"That's just wrong," Lucy pouted. It didn't last long before Gajeel quickly tickled her side and forced a laugh out of Lucy, then moved back to rubbing his hand along her back. "Hey, Gajeel?" she asked softly.

"Hm?"

"Did you start piercing yourself right after you got your magic?"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow as he stared at the top of her head, then sighed and said, "Pretty much. I did my ears first, then my eyebrows, and tongue. After Metallicana disappeared, I did my arms since they reminded me of the spikes he has on his. Couple months later, I did my nose and chin, then I pierced my dick some time last year. Why?"

Lucy shrugged and looked up at him with a soft smile. "Just curious. Does my piercing look like him?"

Gajeel's eyes widened marginally, but he still nodded. "How'd you know?"

She carefully moved up and pressed her lips to his in a chaste kiss, her entire body fighting against every move she tried to make. Once Lucy laid back down on Gajeel's chest, she said, "I figured you would make a dragon that looks like him. He's a huge part of your life."

"There's more to it than that, Bunny," Gajeel said softly.

"Wanna tell me then?"

Gajeel sighed and shook his head, squeezing her gently and nestling his nose in her hair. "Some other time," he whispered, "I don't wanna think about it right now."

Lucy nodded and wrapped her arm around Gajeel's waist again. "Okay," she whispered back, "Whenever you want to tell me, just let me know."

Gajeel nodded absently, furrowing his brow while he stared up at the ceiling of Lucy's apartment. He was completely lost in thought concerning Metallicana, even though he wanted nothing more than to ignore that particular topic. He'd learned everything he knew about life from that dragon, looked up to him as the father he'd never known. Gajeel didn't have very many memories of his life before Metallicana found him, just that he was adopted when he was a baby and didn't have the best role models as he got older. His mom had gotten killed at some point and he never knew the guy that was supposed to be his dad, so once she was gone Gajeel had been left all alone to fend for himself when he was still a little kid. The three years he'd spent on the streets had hardened him, and when Metallicana found him half-dead in the woods after trying to fight off a bear he nursed the young, angry kid back to health. The iron bastard must have seen something in Gajeel that made him want to pass on his magic to the boy, but Gajeel never found out what it was. He honestly believed that the only dragon in existence that could have dealt with his fucked up bullshit was that particularly anti-social and downright nasty iron dragon, and sometimes wondered just where he would have ended up—assuming he'd lived after being mauled by a bear—if he hadn't been taken in.  _I would have been killed at some point if he hadn't found me,_  Gajeel thought.

Aside from being a hard-ass and teaching Gajeel about his magic, Metallicana had surprised him when he brought the young boy into deep conversations about seemingly frivolous things—like the sunrise. Gajeel had been forced to watch a pack of wolves descending on an injured moose that had been separated from its herd, and Metallicana had used it as a lesson on how the strong prey on the weak in the wild as a means for survival; he had also said that, as a Dragon Slayer, it was Gajeel's job to protect the weak from those that abuse their power. Survival was one thing, but subjugation and enslavement were something else entirely. The dragon had asked him what he saw when he looked at things—stars, clouds, trees, grass, even the distant horizon while they were flying through the air—and he'd insisted that Gajeel look past what his initial reaction was to find the hidden story beneath as a means of self-exploration. He learned how to read and write from the dragon, how to identify poisonous plants or animals, and the similarities between himself and other animals (not just dragons) with the addition of his magic. He'd been taught about nature: to appreciate it for its beauty; to find a sense of peace in how simplistic it seemed even though it was teeming with life that was far more complex than anything he could imagine; to respect the lives of every being he encountered, regardless of how much weaker they might be in comparison to himself. Life and love was what Metallicana said was most important, that it should be protected at all costs, just as a dragon hoards treasures and trinkets. Gajeel didn't know if some of those lessons were to try and reverse the damage that had been done to him while growing up, and make him more compassionate and less abrasive, but they had become a part of who he was because he wanted his father to be proud of him.

All Gajeel had ever wanted was for someone to care.

Gajeel knew that Metallicana cared about him, he'd even been told that he was the closest thing the dragon had ever had to family in its long life, so he just couldn't understand  _why_  he was left alone again. After everything that had happened, how he finally felt like he had someone that loved him in return, Gajeel was all alone. Abandoned by his parent for the third time in his life—his birth parents (or just his mother, who knew), his adoptive human mother and her utterly absent husband, and then the dragon that he'd looked up to that held each and every memory that he cherished. Maybe it was just something about  _him_  that made everyone leave. There wasn't really any way for him to find out since he couldn't ask anyone that had left before, and he wasn't willing to let anyone else in just for them to do the same thing. When a soft, breathy sigh puffed out across his chest, Gajeel looked down to see the head of golden blonde hair he'd been nuzzling. He listened to Lucy's breathing and heartbeat, and knew that she hadn't fallen back asleep. She was perfectly content to lie stark naked in her own bed while she was curled around him. Anyone else would have hightailed it out of there once they were finished— _Shit, that's what I used do before her,_ he thought—but Lucy never did. Their first time together, she had gotten cleaned up and came right back to him. Every time they had sex, she never left him. She always came back.

His mind was reeling at the realization, but he forced his body to stay relaxed so she would be none the wiser to what he was thinking about. It was either something about her or something about himself that had her coming back to him time and again. He didn't know what it was. Maybe she just trusted him. Maybe she wanted to keep as much physical contact while they were away from everyone, since they couldn't be seen as too close while they were in public. It could be that she was insane to lie next to him when they really couldn't stand each other for long. One thing that he knew wasn't the case was the fact that he'd bitten her again; Lucy stuck around before they started biting one another, so he couldn't even rationalize that it was the high they'd gone through that made her stay. Gajeel didn't know what to make of Lucy at all, but he did know that having her around and all to himself for a little over a month had been frustrating, exciting, sexy as hell, confusing, and—oddly enough—relaxing. Maybe there was some unspoken mutual respect between them that he hadn't picked up on, a sense of trust that he hadn't really put much more thought into aside from knowing that it was there. Gajeel frowned at the thought of her eventually deciding that she wanted more than just a physical relationship and moving on without another word on the matter; granted that was her choice entirely, and he didn't really have a say in who she fucked. What he'd said in the rain held much more weight than he'd let on before, and just the thought of losing Lucy in his life in any capacity chilled him to the bone for some reason he couldn't understand. "Bunny," he whispered, squeezing her lightly to get her attention.

"Hm?" Lucy hummed, turning to look up at Gajeel with her eyebrows raised.

"Got a question for ya."

"Sure, what's up?"

Gajeel frowned and sighed, completely unsure of what he wanted to ask her or why it seemed to matter at all. He looked down at her expectant chocolate eyes and saw pure happiness. It floored him to think that she was happy with him around, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was caused by more than just a good lay. She was perfectly relaxed right then, lying in his arms with her chin pressed to his chest and a small smile turning up the corners of her mouth. He should have thought through it more before he got her attention, because now he was sitting and staring at her while he tried to put the words together in his head. "Don't leave, okay?" he finally asked, his words barely more than a breath from the way his throat seemed to constrict a little at the thought of her being gone.  _Why should it matter if she leaves? Everyone leaves eventually._

Lucy frowned and propped herself up on her elbow, searching Gajeel's face for any indication of where this was coming from. He was frowning, his brow pushed together in concentration as if he was trying to understand something that was just out of reach.  _He doesn't want me to leave?_ , she thought,  _What's that supposed to mean?_ The longer she looked at him, the more she picked up from the subtle hints of his expression changing— like the way his eyes always crinkled a little when he was amused, how they darkened a shade or two when he was thinking about something that upset him, or even how his upper lip would twitch slightly when he tried to hold back a sneer—and saw sadness in him. "Huh?" she asked.

"It's probably gonna sound stupid," Gajeel mumbled, "But, everyone leaves… I know it's supposed to just be fucking between us, but I don't… I don't want you to go."

"Where's this coming from, Gajeel?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to the side and sliding up on the bed so her head was in line with his. She carefully moved her hand to his cheek and gently ran her thumb along his jaw, smiling softly when his eyes closed and he leaned into her touch. "What do you mean 'everyone leaves'?"

Gajeel's eyes opened just enough to look at her and see concern on her face. With a sigh of resignation, he closed his eyes again and slowly pulled her hand away from him. "Don't worry about i—"

Lucy scowled and ripped her hand away from Gajeel's, then smacked him roughly upside the head. When his eyes shot open to glare at her, she pointed her finger in his face and said, "I don't think so, asshole. You can't just ask me something like that without giving me a  _little_  more information. So quit being a gaping vagina, and tell me what's going on."

Gajeel's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open to start yelling back at her, then promptly closed when he realized that she had a point. He'd only given her the information he was comfortable with sharing, even though the question of her not leaving was completely out of nowhere and based on his own insecurities. "You'll think I'm more of a pussy just for saying it, Bunny Girl," he ground out with a scowl on his face.

Lucy rolled her eyes and smacked him in the head again.

"Oi! Quit hitting me, psycho!" Gajeel yelled, earning him another smack.

"Shut  _up_  for a second!" Lucy yelled back.

"I thought you wanted me to talk," Gajeel retorted.

"I do, but I want you to listen for a goddamn minute, you dense piece of scrap metal!" Gajeel growled at her, only causing Lucy to sigh and shake her head. She leaned down and pressed her lips to the piercings in his eyebrows, effectively cutting off any mildly menacing noises he was making in an instant. Deciding that maybe this was the way to keep him quiet long enough to hear her, Lucy kept her lips lightly on him while she moved down his nose. "Something's bothering you," she said softly, "And it made you ask me that. I want to know what's going on." She paused and peppered his cheek with light kisses, internally smiling when that same rumbling purr started sounding in his chest. "You've helped me with more than just bandaging me up, Gajeel. You took care of me and held me when I was scared, let me sleep next to you to keep my nightmares away, and made me feel less alone in the world for once. Let me return the favor."

"Doesn't make me less of a pussy for i—Goddamnit, Bunny Girl. Stop fucking hitting me!"

"Stop calling yourself a pussy," Lucy shot back with a smirk, running her nose along his and looking deeply into his eyes. "There's only one pussy here, and it's not you—that stayed right between my legs where it belongs, thank you very much." She giggled when Gajeel rolled his eyes, then added, "Talk to me."

"Like I said," Gajeel sighed in defeat. He knew there was no way to get out of it now that he'd opened his damn mouth in the first place. "Everyone leaves."

"Right," Lucy said slowly, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I've been abandoned three fucking times in my life by the ones that were supposed to care about me," Gajeel growled. "Every time I get close to someone, they up and fucking disappear."

Lucy froze and stared wide-eyed at the man beneath her. "Th-Three times?" she whispered sadly.

"I really don't wanna talk about this shit, Bunny Girl," Gajeel grumbled. When Lucy glared at him and pinned him roughly to the bed while he tried to pull away, he sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're a real bitch sometimes, you know that?"

Lucy nodded with a sickly sweet smile. "I know."

"Yeah, three times. I was put up for adoption when I was a baby, then the woman that adopted me died when I was still a kid. Her husband wasn't around anyway, so I was on my own. Then Metallicana found me, taught me everything I know, then just fucking disappeared in the middle of the night without a word," Gajeel said while he was trying to glare a hole through the ceiling. "Couldn't even find his scent anywhere when I woke up the next day. It's like he just vanished…"

Lucy frowned and slowly pulled Gajeel's face back toward hers so she could look into his eyes again. "That's why you got so upset when I made you think about him? Why you don't know what happened to him?" she whispered.

Gajeel nodded.

"So, what made you ask me not to leave?"

Gajeel shrugged and frowned. "Not sure. I just know I don't want you to go away. I hate you so fucking much sometimes, but I…" Gajeel's eyes widened when he finally remembered what had happened the night before: what he'd almost admitted, that third bite, and even finally saying it out loud. He'd never meant to let that out from the depths of his own subconscious, and he couldn't believe that Lucy had even admitted to the same thing. Finally he shook his head to clear his stupor, and said, "Well, you know..."

Lucy's jaw dropped in complete shock while she stared at him. Usually, they wouldn't mention what was said after their inhibitions dropped from being bitten, but it seemed that Gajeel was actually going to just go with the flow on this one. Lucy slowly shook her head and said, "No, I don't. Tell me."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her in question, then saw the small hopeful smile on her face that she was failing at hiding from him. He snorted and rolled his eyes, then leaned up and lightly brushed his nose to her chin. "You're a pain in my ass, you know," he grumbled with a small smirk. "I love you, Bunny. I've never told anyone that much about Metallicana before. Or me for that matter. So, like I said. Every time someone gets close, they leave…"

"What makes you think I'll leave though?" Lucy asked when she regained her composure, blushing like crazy and leaning down to give Gajeel a swift peck on the cheek. "Where do you think I'll go?"

"Well, once you decide you're done fucking and want more than that, you'll go find someone that will give you what you're looking for," Gajeel answered honestly. "I'm not that guy, Bunny. We both know that already."

"So… You love me, and you want to keep fucking, but… you don't want me to disappear from your life when I decide to move on?" Lucy asked slowly, completely unsure of whether or not she was following Gajeel's logic.

Gajeel thought about what she'd said for a minute. Did he love her? Yes. Did he want to keep fucking her? Holy motherfucking hell, yes. Did he want her to stay in his life when she moved on? Oddly enough, yeah; he even wanted that. He knew that he would never be the one she settled down with, and didn't see himself settling down either. The memory of what had happened the night before surfaced and shot down his idea of not wanting to settle down, since he'd been more than willing to mark her if she agreed to it. Gajeel wanted to deny that she already meant so much to him, but his heart seemed to have latched onto the feelings she created in him as if it was starved for something more than anger; maybe that really was the case. For the first time since losing Metallicana, Gajeel wasn't tense and angry at everything and it was all because of Lucy. Sure, Gajeel knew how he felt about her, but it also meant that he wanted Lucy to be happy; if moving on into a normal relationship with some other guy was what made her happy, then Gajeel wouldn't stand in the way of that. From what she told him about her life the night before, he knew she deserved some happiness. He would never be able to give her what she really needed in life. He wouldn't be the reason that she woke up every morning with a sweet smile on her face, and there was no way that Lucy would ever agree to eventually having his kids and spend the rest of their lives together. Gajeel felt it with every fiber of his being that one day Lucy would move on from what they had so she could find her future with a man that was deserving of her… At least if she was in his life in some capacity after she moved on, he wouldn't feel like he had been abandoned again. "Pretty much," he said with a smirk and a nod. "Just… when you decide to…" he added uncertainly, "Just give me a heads up."

Lucy smiled gently and nodded. "I can do you one better," she whispered. "I promise that as long as you want us to keep doing whatever this is," she paused and motioned awkwardly between the two of them, "You'll be the only one that's allowed anywhere near my lady bits, and my promise stands until I actually  _tell_  you I want something different. How does that sound?"

"What do you mean 'whatever this is'?" Gajeel asked carefully.

"Well, you're my Dragon, Gajeel," Lucy said with a sweet smile and a light blush.

"Right?"

"And what am I?"

Gajeel narrowed his eyes at her, but automatically said, "You're my Bunny."

"Will I ever  _not_  be your Bunny?"

Gajeel frowned and shook his head slowly while he said, "No, you'll always be mine."

Lucy slowly slid her fingers over the piercings on his chin, nose, and eyebrows and said, "Exactly. You and I can't seem to keep our thoughts to ourselves while we're riding that wonderful high, even if we have no clue what it really means. And we both admitted to loving each other last night—which, I love you too by the way. So, as far as I'm concerned, you and I are somewhere between 'just fucking' and something else. What that something else is really isn't what's important, but it's obvious that there's more than just a physical relationship with you and me. You're always going to be my Dragon, Gajeel. I don't need anyone else."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her and studied her for a moment. "You're not planning on fucking anyone else?" he asked.

Lucy scoffed and shook her head. "Trust me, Gajeel. I don't  _need_  to fuck someone else if you're that damn good even half of the time. I'm set." She looked at him for a minute, then asked, "How about you?"

"Nah, I'm good," Gajeel answered with a smirk.

"So, what do you say?" Lucy asked with a small smile. "I'm all yours, and you're all mine, for as long as we want."

"That makes it sound like we're dating, Bunny," Gajeel said.

Lucy laughed and rolled her eyes at him. "You haven't asked me out on a date, so we're not dating," she answered. "Besides, I can tell you're not one for romantic gestures or anything like that, and I don't expect you to do any of those things. If you want to do that, then by all means don't let me stop you. But just spending time with you is enough for me."

"You know I'd never ask you," Gajeel mumbled with a sigh. "It wouldn't work out."

Lucy frowned and shook her head slowly. "It's not about whether it would work out, Gajeel," she whispered as she traced one of the bites she'd given him the night before. "It's about being with someone you care about, getting to know them, and finding out if there's something more. Like I said, I don't expect you to do any of that, only for you to be yourself. But… If you ever decided to ask me, I'd say yes."

"Really," Gajeel drawled with a snort as he rolled his eyes, "And why's that?"

"Because then I'd be dating a big bad Dragon Slayer," Lucy teased. "Think of how jealous all those other women would be. Besides, how many guys do you think there are that can deal with me beating their asses all the time?"

"Very funny," Gajeel chuckled. "I'm not asking, so you're shit out of luck."

Lucy shrugged and smiled before kissing Gajeel's cheek, then said, "No big deal. So… You still didn't answer my question. What do you say, Black Steel?"

"Sounds good to me," Gajeel answered with a laugh and a nod. After only a moment, his voice dropped to a hopeful whisper while he held up his hand with only his pinky extended. "Pinky promise, Bunny?"

Lucy's smile widened in an almost childlike manner while she looked from Gajeel's hand to his face. Her hand shot out, her pinky instantly wrapping around his, and she nodded while he chuckled. "Pinky promise," she whispered back sweetly.

"Same goes for me, Bunny. I'm pretty sure you'll be the one to change your mind, but just in case," Gajeel said with a wink. When Lucy giggled, he roughly pulled on her hand until she fell down on his chest, keeping their pinkies intertwined, then instantly brought his free hand up to pull her into a soft kiss.

* * *

"Come in," Jose said with a sigh, setting his pen down on his desk and looking at the door to his office impassively. When he saw two members of the Element Four walking in, a wicked grin spread across his face while he leaned back in his chair. The pair came to a stop in front of him, and he was greeted with complete silence while they waited for him to speak. "Are the preparations complete, Sol?"

"Oui," Sol said with a small bow of his head. "Everything is prepared and awaiting your orders, Master."

"Wonderful," Jose said with a small chuckle. "Is there anything else?" He looked at the pair of mages in front of him, and finally noticed a large envelope in Sol's companion's hand. Once it was placed on his desk, Jose raised an eyebrow at the pair and finally asked, "What might this be, Juvia?"

"Juvia and Sol have completed the secondary mission as assigned," Juvia said solemnly. "Your suspicions were correct, and there is the proof you requested."

"How were you able to gain the information without being seen?" Jose asked, studiously ignoring the envelope for the time being.

"Juvia is the Rain Woman," Juvia answered, "Wherever Juvia goes, the rain follows. They were completely unaware of Juvia's presence and control of the weather."

"I travelled through the earth while she maintained the rain," Sol added. "We took extra precautions because of the target's nature. Had we been detected…"

"Indeed," Jose said with a nod. "Then the target would have been eliminated." When Juvia and Sol nodded in agreement, he sighed and asked, "How close?"

"As close as can be," Sol answered, twirling on side of his pointed green moustache with a devious smirk.

"And the test that was sent out?" Jose asked, finally opening the envelope and looking at the first series of pictures that were provided. His eyes widened when he saw the horrific images that sat in front of him, and looked up at the two mages. "Which one?"

"The girl," Juvia answered. "Juvia was passing through the area while Sol maintained a visual."

Sol grinned at the memory of what he'd witnessed and said, "Oui, she is very skilled. I watched the whole thing. If you look at the next set, you'll see how she did it."

Jose raised an intrigued eyebrow and flipped past the pictures of the mutilated bodies only to chuckle as he saw frame after frame of the woman who had left the scene while she attacked the men he'd sent out.  _Perfect,_  he thought,  _Just as I wanted her._  She was vicious in each picture while she attacked the men around her, and even though her clothes were nearly non-existent towards the end, he could see the malicious glint in her eyes while her guild mark proudly stood out on her stomach. Jose paused at a picture of the woman straddling one of the mercenaries he'd sent out, her face a mask of erotic pleasure. "What is this one?" he asked, lifting the picture and turning it towards Sol.

"Oh," Sol chuckled. "She seduced him and this is just before she tore out his throat with her teeth. He tied her hands up."

Jose nodded and looked back at the picture, then flipped to the next to see her standing next to the body of the man she'd been straddling with blood pouring down her face and a hunk of flesh between her teeth. He returned his attention to the first few pictures he'd seen after looking through the next couple and gave each corpse a critical eye while he examined the damage she had been able to inflict on them. "There are three, correct?" he asked, looking from one mutilated body to the next.

"Yes," Juvia answered. "One with a torn out windpipe, one that was gutted with a broken neck, and the third…" She paused and glanced over to Sol.

"The third was the worst," Sol continued. "Gouged out eyes, mutilated genitals, severed Achilles tendons. She let him crawl away."

"Juvia managed to get a picture of him before the wolves found him," Juvia finished. "The rest are evidence of the mission's success."

Jose nodded and turned past the attacking woman only to have his jaw drop open and his eyes widen. He quickly glanced at each of the pictures and was barely able to suppress a nosebleed from the intensely erotic images he'd seen, then slammed the gory pictures back on top of them. "Please warn me next time," he muttered, blinking repeatedly and staring at the pair of mages in front of him. Picture after picture of the targets utterly naked during a seriously intense bout of sex, and rolling around in the mud, would forever be etched into Jose's memory.

"Juvia apologizes, Master," Juvia said blankly with a bow. "Juvia will be sure to give full disclosure of any possibly offending materials in the future."

 _Not so much offending,_  Jose thought as he schooled his expression back into passivity. "Aside from physical proximity, do you have any other proof?" he asked.

Sol nodded and said, "Oui, look at the last three pictures."

Jose raised an eyebrow and pulled the pictures out from the bottom of the pile. There it was, exactly what he needed. A gentle smile shared between the two. A large and muscular arm wrapped around the slender waist of the woman while they laid in bed and kissed. And finally, the pair cuddled up to one another, fast asleep, with her head on his chest, his arms wrapping around her, and his nose nestled in her hair. Each of these three pictures had been taken through a gap in a curtain, and the decoration of the apartment that could be seen let him know that it wasn't the scrap heap that Gajeel called a home.  _It seems I was correct,_ Jose thought. Not only had he forced Lucy to become more ingrained with the ways of his guild, but he'd also given one of his strongest members a weakness he could exploit if the Slayer ever got out of hand. Lucy was easy enough to manipulate, and she had showed him just that when she instantly adapted to his orders and corrections. Gajeel was loyal, but he was also very powerful in his own right, and Jose needed to have some sort of insurance that he could bring the man to heel if the need should ever arise. There was no point in hurting Gajeel himself if the mage ever needed to be disciplined when a pretty blonde woman could break his spirit just as easily. "Very well," Jose said as he put all of the pictures in the envelope and locked it in his desk. "You are dismissed. Be prepared to move on to the next phase by week's end. I expect all four of you to be present tomorrow for a briefing on our main targets."

Juvia and Sol bowed in silence, then walked out of the room, leaving Master Jose to his whirlwind of thoughts concerning the Celestial mage and Iron Dragon Slayer.

* * *

Lucy sat in silence at the bar, lazily tracing patterns in the wood grains while she sipped on her smoothie and let her mind wander. Lucy had spent the entire previous day with Gajeel, and found it interesting that they still found ways to get under one another's skin enough to argue and throw punches. She ended up learning a lot about the usually closed-off Dragon Slayer, who had apparently decided that her reciprocating his feelings was enough for him to actually tell her more about himself. Everything from his taste in music—which wasn't surprising to find out that it was rock, or 'heavy metal' as Gajeel liked to call it—to his favorite color and food, and even a few stories of what it was like growing up with Metallicana for a father. She found out that he's horrible at poker, but a master when it came to Rummy or Black Jack, and that those large calloused hands were oddly skilled at giving back massages. Gajeel had even gone as far as being genuinely interested in Lucy's own past, chuckling when he realized that she knew about metal and elements at such a young age because of her upbringing. Her fear of him treating her differently because of her father's status was quelled in an instant when she actually admitted that it was something that worried her.

_"Bunny, there's no way in hell I'll treat you like some high-class bitch with a stick up her ass if you can't even act that way. You show me one of those women that can take a hit like you can, then maybe I'll reconsider… Besides, you left that shit behind, and you're nothing like what you've told me about your dad."_

_"So, you don't mind that I didn't tell you who my dad was?"_

_"Why should I care? You're dad's a prick who locked his daughter up, and mine was a dragon who abandoned me. Your parents aren't the ones that make up who you are, that shit's on you to decide. You_ _**chose** _ _to leave it all behind and make yourself who you really want to be, and that's all I see. Not your past or how much money your old man has, just the shitty attitude, loud mouth, and rocking body of the one chick that's crazy enough to love me."_

Never before had Lucy seen him being so open with her, letting her really see what he hid from everyone else under that rough exterior. Gajeel was surprisingly sweet and thoughtful when he was comfortable enough to let it out, and the fact that Lucy was able to bring out that side of him made her heart melt.

She and Gajeel had gone their separate ways the next morning—with Gajeel heading home to shower and change his clothes and Lucy heading to the guild. On her arrival, Lucy had made a beeline for the infirmary, wanting to check on Ryos and see if he needed anything since she'd forced him to stay the night at the guild to rest, and she hadn't been by the previous day. He wasn't in the bed she'd left him in, and the room seemed as though no one had even entered it two days before. Lucy remembered that Ryos had said he liked to stay hidden while he was at the guild, so she assumed he must have felt well enough to either go home or was just hiding and watching everything from wherever he was.

"Ah, Lucy. Just the woman I was looking for," Master Jose said with a wide grin while he stood behind the bored blonde at the bar.

Lucy turned around and gave Jose a sweet smile. "Good morning, Master," she said. "What can I do for you today?"

"I didn't see you in the guild yesterday," Jose said.

"Gajeel and I were going over the information I gathered," Lucy answered with a dejected sigh, leaning back against the bar on her elbows and lazily kicking her legs back and forth. "It's a good thing he's got until the end of the week to learn this stuff," she added, "We had to stop everything just so that he could kick my ass for 'sounding like a smart ass'… Not actually being one, just  _sounding_  like one." It was actually true that she and Gajeel had taken time away from all of their cuddling and getting to know one another when Lucy had insisted that he focused on what Master had assigned them to do. It didn't last very long before Gajeel gave up on looking at the blueprints of the Fairies' guild, throwing the paper onto the floor and pinning Lucy to the bed, but they did get into an argument at one point about her sounding like a smart ass.

"I see," Jose said with a chuckle, noting the slight bruising and faint scratches on Lucy's waist, a small dragon shaped piercing through her belly button that hadn't been there when she had returned from her mission two days prior, and a barely concealed bite wound just peeking out of the collar of her shirt. "Do I need to have a talk with him about this?" he asked.  _It seems that they are definitely close if she allowed him to pierce her,_  he thought smugly,  _And with a dragon, no less._

Lucy raised an eyebrow at Jose and then waved off his concerns with a light laugh. "Thank you for your concern, Master Jose, but I can handle myself. There's nothing that Gajeel can do that I can't deal with on my own. That's why I was gone for so long, remember?"

"This is true," Jose said with a sickly sweet smile. It was true, Jose had sent Gajeel and Lucy away for a month so they would hopefully become a weakness for one another, and to increase the young blonde's own power to further Jose's goals. His plan was falling into place perfectly, and all he needed was her cooperation to begin the secondary plan he'd set up once she had joined the guild. Then again, he had decided to wait until after the Fairies had been dealt with; which brought him back to his original reason for coming to speak with her. "Because you were not here yesterday, I was unable to give you time to prepare," he said while he turned to face the rest of the guild and look for Gajeel.

"Prepare for what?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to the side and keeping her eyes trained on the guild master.

"I need you to brief our S-Class mages on what you have found," Jose said as he turned back to Lucy. "The guild hall will be Gajeel's focus for his mission, but the information on their members is invaluable and they should all be privy to that knowledge for what's coming."

Lucy nodded with another sweet smile. "Of course, Master Jose. When would you like me to meet with them?"

"As soon as Gajeel gets here, meet me in my office," Jose said. "He seems to be running later than usual today."

Lucy snorted and rolled her eyes while she turned back to her smoothie on the bar. "Lazy bastard probably isn't even out of bed yet," she grumbled, knowing full well how long it took to get from her place to his. He would most likely be in the guild within the next twenty minutes, even if he decided to take his time in the shower, so Lucy wasn't too worried about having to wait too long. "I'll let him know when he gets here, Master," she said with one last smile at Jose before he nodded and walked back up the stairs.

Five minutes went by in complete silence for Lucy until she noticed a presence to her right. She glanced over and smiled when she saw that Ryos had decided to come sit next to her. "Morning, Ryos," she said happily, "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Ryos answered. He looked over at Lucy and gave her a small smile in return, and when the newer bite mark that was peeking out from under her shirt caught his eye he asked, "Did you work everything out?"

Lucy nodded and leaned her head on her hand. "Yeah, it's all better now. We talked it out yesterday. Just a bunch of misunderstandings that we were trying to ignore, I guess."

"That's good," Ryos said happily. "I was worried when I didn't see you yesterday, but I figured you were going to have that talk and I didn't know how long it could take…"

Lucy frowned and reached over to lightly squeeze Ryos' hand. "I didn't mean to make you worry, you know," she said softly. When Ryos gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand right back, she sighed happily and said, "I've got a meeting with Master when Gajeel gets here, but maybe we can go out later on and get something sweet. What do you say?"

Ryos' eyes widened slightly and he quickly nodded his agreement. "Of course," he said excitedly.

Lucy giggled and looked at the time, then motioned for Tom to come over. "Have you had breakfast yet?" she asked Ryos.

He visibly flinched and slowly shook his head, casting his eyes down at the bar top instead of seeing the flash of concern in Lucy's gaze.

Lucy frowned and ordered breakfast from Tom for both herself and Ryos, then turned to look at the boy while the barkeep walked off. "Ryos," she whispered, squeezing his hand again when he didn't look at her, "It's almost eleven in the morning. Why didn't you eat yet?"

"I forgot," Ryos muttered as he slowly pulled his hand away from Lucy's comforting grasp.

"You know what I told you about lying," Lucy said firmly. When Ryos sighed and nodded, she leaned over and brushed his hair from his eyes. "You can talk to me about anything, you know that right?"

Ryos nodded again.

"So why didn't you eat? You need to keep your strength up to heal faster."

"Can I talk to you about it after your meeting with Master?" Ryos whispered, wrapping his arms around his midsection while he glanced up at Lucy. "I don't want you to have to go while…"

Lucy smiled warmly at him and nodded. "Not a problem," she said, "If I'm not back out in time for you to have lunch, you just let Tom know what you want okay? I'll have him put it on my tab and pay it when I'm done."

Ryos' head shot up to look at Lucy in shock. He hadn't told her the real reason that he hadn't eaten, but the look in her eyes seemed to say that she already knew it was because he didn't have a way to feed himself. Ryos never took on any missions since he still thought he was too weak to handle them, so he found a way to get by as best as he could with whatever he was able to find.

"You can tell me all about it later on," Lucy said gently, "I want you to have my full attention, without any interruptions, and we'll figure something out."

"You…" Ryos whispered with wide eyes.

Just as Tom was walking out of the kitchen with their meals, Lucy grabbed Ryos' hand and pulled him from his stool to stand between her legs—thankful that she'd decided to wear jeans that day. "Friends take care of each other, Ryos," Lucy whispered while she wrapped her arms around him, not caring in the slightest that they were in the middle of the guild with everyone watching. She smiled when she felt his slender arms tentatively wrapping around her bare waist and lightly squeezed him with a sigh. "Now, let's have some breakfast before—"

The guild doors slammed open to reveal a scowling Iron Dragon Slayer whose gaze instantly landed on Lucy and Ryos hugging at the bar. He narrowed his eyes slightly and growled before intentionally looking away and striding over to his own table to start eating some metal. He didn't like how close the boy was to Lucy, even if it was obvious that it was strictly platonic for both parties, but Gajeel couldn't let it slip that it was something he was annoyed by. Not while he was at the guild. Lucy had made it very clear to him the day before just how lonely her childhood was after her mom had died, and the fact that she had befriended someone—regardless of his age—had left Lucy feeling absolutely giddy. He couldn't take that away from her.

Lucy sighed and gave Ryos an apologetic smile while he sat back down on his stool. "Looks like our breakfast together is getting cut short," she grumbled. "I'm serious though. You tell Tom when you're ready for lunch if I'm not done up there. Okay?"

Ryos nodded and quickly swallowed the bite of food he'd taken, loving how delicious it was to eat something warm and freshly cooked for a change. "Okay," he said with a small quirk of his lips. "You'd better eat fast though. Gajeel's already started in on his metal."

Lucy sighed again, then scarfed down her meal and the rest of her smoothie. She paid Tom for her and Ryos' meals, then told him to put the boy's lunch on her tab, and assured him that she would settle it once she was done with her meeting with Master Jose. Once Lucy was on her feet, she gave Ryos a quick peck on the top of his head, then walked over to Gajeel's table and waited for him to acknowledge her presence.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and gave the feisty little blonde a single raised brow while he kept eating.

"Master said to meet him in his office," Lucy said when Gajeel swallowed the metal in his mouth. "Me, you, and the rest of the S-Class."

Gajeel picked up another piece of metal and popped it into his mouth, only to glare and growl at Lucy when her hands shot out to hold his jaw shut. "What do you want?" he growled between clenched teeth.

"We're waiting for you, asshat," Lucy said. "He said once you got here, we could get started. So come on."

"I'm eating," Gajeel said as he smacked her hands away from his head with another glare.

"Yeah, well I just scarfed down my food in less than a minute, so you can just suck it up." Lucy huffed and rolled her eyes as she spun on her heel and made her way towards the stairs.

With a groan, Gajeel popped one last piece of metal into his mouth and stalked after Lucy, catching up to her at the base of the stairs. "How's the brat doing?" he whispered.

Lucy smirked and glanced up at Gajeel for a moment. "He says he's better, but he's not eating. I'm taking him out after the meeting to go to a bakery."

"Which one?"

"Death By Chocolate," Lucy answered. "When I was talking with Erza Scarlet, she mentioned that they're the best in Fiore."

Gajeel chuckled and shook his head. "You know, that's the one that I smelled the icing in," he whispered. "I might have to stop in there and pick up a batch…"

"Yeah," Lucy shot back, "Then you can smell me any time, creeper."

"I'm curious to see if it tastes as good as you do." Gajeel had to stifle his laughter when a light blush crossed Lucy's cheeks, but he wasn't expecting her to say what came out of her next.

"Maybe if you get some, you could do a side-by-side comparison," she said with a wink.

"Bunny," Gajeel said softly, glancing to either side of them down the hall to make sure no one was near enough to hear him. "Please don't make me go in there with a hard-on. You have no clue how hard it was to let you leave your place this morning."

Lucy smiled softly up at Gajeel and nodded. "Fine, I'll be nice." They turned and walked the last few steps to Jose's office, then she said, "I fully support you getting some of it though. Then we can test it out at your place tonight."

"Fucking hell," Gajeel groaned. "You're gonna be the death of me, you know that?"

Lucy giggled and nodded. "I know, Gajeel," she whispered, her words barely more than a breath and just loud enough for him to hear her, "But you still love me."

"Damn right, I do," Gajeel answered with a smirk. He knocked sharply on the door and as soon as he heard Jose's voice, he opened it and strode inside with Lucy sighing behind him and rolling her eyes in annoyance at his lack of chivalry.  _Hey, she's perfectly capable of opening a door on her own,_  he thought while he made his way to stand next to the Element Four in front of Jose's desk.  _Besides, it would be suspicious if I held the door for her anyway._

 


	10. Arc 1: Time to Learn

 

Lucy glared at the retreating form of Gajeel's well-muscled back as he went to stand on the right of the Element Four in front of Jose's desk. Not wanting to draw any attention to her willingness to be close to the Iron Slayer, Lucy walked off to the far left to stand next to the beautiful blue-haired woman she saw from time to time in the guild, Juvia Lockser. She didn't spare a glance at any of her companions, instead only giving Master Jose the same sweet smile that she always greeted him with and staying silent until he granted her permission to speak.

Jose looked at the six mages in front of him, silently eying each of them while they stood stock-still in his presence and awaited his orders. On his far left was Gajeel with his usual scowl firmly in place, and any marks that Lucy may have left on him to match the ones that Jose knew he gave her were hidden by the black metal-edged tunic he wore with a feathered fringe on one sleeve. Next was Aria, wearing his standard green hat and trenchcoat with his blindfold in place to limit his use of his magic. Then Sol, standing with a small smirk while he twirled his dark green moustache in silent amusement over the presence of both Gajeel and Lucy. Totomaru, with his two-toned hair and odd red boa-lined shirt stood oddly still after chancing a small glance at Lucy. Juvia held the same blank expression that she always did, and stared at the wall instead of meeting Jose's gaze. And finally, there was little Lucy Heartfilia, smiling at Jose the same way she always did once their eyes met, wearing just a little more clothing that she normally did—in a cut-off t-shirt that still bared her stomach and a pair of jeans—though the marks from Gajeel were still visible if you knew where to look. "Lucy," Jose said finally, "Please have your spirit bring the information here for the briefing."

Lucy bowed her head slightly and took a step forward and slightly away from Juvia's side while she singled out Virgo's key. "Of course, Master," she answered just before summoning her spirit. "Would you like Virgo to make copies of the information for everyone present?"

Jose raised an intrigued eyebrow at her, then shook his head. "There will be no need for that," he said, "The fewer individuals that have access to this information, the better."

"Punishment, Princess?" Virgo asked once she appeared in a low bow, standing to her full height to look at Lucy who smiled lovingly at her and shook her head.

"Not today, Virgo," Lucy giggled. "Could you please bring all of the information from my mission here? I would have done it myself, but I only just found out it was needed."

"Of course, Princess. I will return shortly."

Totomaru couldn't keep his eyes off of the blonde in the room. The light tinkling laughter he'd heard from her was so at odds with the woman he'd witnessed bashing skulls in the main guild hall the few times he had seen her, but what really caught his attention was her body. She had the perfect figure, and it made his mouth water just looking at her.

Lucy bowed to Jose again and took a step back in line with the rest of the mages present before saying, "It shouldn't be too long, Master. Everything was unpacked for Gajeel's briefing, but Virgo works very quickly. Five minutes at most."

Jose nodded, then turned his attention to his S-Class mages. "As you know, we will be sending Gajeel out on a mission at the end of the week to launch an attack on Fairy Tail. Lucy's most recent mission was to scout out the guild hall and find key weaknesses in the structure so that our point will be well made. Luckily, she was also able to glean a plethora of information about each of the—"

"The information as requested, Princess," Virgo said with another deep bow as she appeared with the three boxes and rolls of blueprints at her side. She stood from her bow, noticing that Lucy said nothing, and went to stand to her left while Jose finished speaking. "My apologies for the interruption."

Jose nodded and continued as if he'd never stopped speaking. "—Guild members as well. This is what you are all here for today."

"What do you mean, exactly?" Totomaru asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Lucy will be running the meeting today and teaching you five about our enemies for what is to come," Jose answered. "Lucy, I will leave the rest to you. You have until the end of today."

Lucy bowed again with a small smile, then turned to Virgo and gave her a list of what she would need to start the presentation that she would have to make up on the fly. Once Virgo disappeared again, Lucy sighed and said, "Well, might as well get comfortable. This shit's gonna take a while."

Sol blinked repeatedly with his mouth hanging open at the crude language she had used. Each of the Element Four had been given explicit instructions to steer clear of Lucy Heartfilia until this point, as Jose didn't want any of them to have any sort of connection with her, lest it foil his plan to bring Gajeel's weakness to the forefront. Because of that fact, Sol and the rest of the S-Class mages weren't used to hearing just how she talked or handled herself aside from seeing her arguing or fighting with Gajeel. Sol had assumed that based on her lineage, the young woman would have a much more subdued demeanor, especially in front of their guild master. "E-Excusez-moi?" he stuttered.

Lucy turned and faced the green-haired mage, then lifted her eyebrow. "Did you not understand me?" she asked slowly. "Here… Let's try it this way: Eh bien, vous pourriez aussi bien vous installer confortablement. Cette merde va prendre un certain temps."

Sol, along with everyone else in the room, gaped at Lucy as she instantly switched languages and spoke as if it was her native tongue. "U-Uh…" Sol stuttered with wide eyes.

Lucy sighed and strode over to the utterly perplexed Earth mage. "Sol, right?" she asked with feigned sweetness. When he nodded slowly, Lucy rolled her eyes and quickly cocked her hand back to land a solid hit on his jaw, knocking him to the floor. "There," she said, wiping her hands of imaginary dust, "Now you're comfortable."

"What the hell?" Totomaru whispered as he took a seat in a nearby armchair. Not only had the weak little blonde pulled out a potty mouth that was as bad as the Slayer in the room, but she'd gone and done it in another language, then decked one of the guild's most dexterous mages. A quick glance at Jose told him that this wasn't something he would interfere with, since he seemed to be highly amused by the blonde's antics. He watched Sol get up from the floor and make his way over to a chair, shakily sitting down and still completely stunned from what had just happened. Juvia and Aria both seemed undisturbed by the turn of events and took a seat, and Gajeel leaned against a far wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Lucy rolled her eyes at the five mages in the room, then turned around and knelt on the floor to start pulling the files from the boxes. She was completely unaware of the male eyes immediately being drawn to her backside while she wriggled around and created pile after pile in her own form of organization as Virgo reappeared with everything she needed. After silently commandeering Master Jose's desk to move the files from the floor, Lucy turned to see Virgo setting up a projector on the far wall.

"Princess," Virgo said once she was finished, "Hold this lacrima over the images you would like projected, and it will stream a video onto the wall." She handed Lucy the small orb and bowed once more before she disappeared until it was time to collect all of the materials later on.

Lucy took a deep breath, feeling slightly anxious as the six most powerful mages in the guild stared at her and waited for her to begin. Her nerves tried to get the best of her, and she could see both Jose and Gajeel raising a questioning eyebrow at her while she tried to decide where to start.  _Lucy, remember: when you're in a business meeting you can't show your fear. You have to stand tall and proud so everyone sees you as the leader._  Her father's words echoed in her mind from a lesson about what she would have to do in case her future husband fell ill. She pulled on every bit of the training she had received while growing up, realizing at the last moment that she had unconsciously slipped back into the role of the young heiress as her posture straightened and her chin lifted a fraction higher than normal. Lucy looked at each of the mages and saw that Jose was slightly impressed and Gajeel was surprised and probably a little creeped out when she started to speak. "As Master Jose has informed you, my mission was to find key weaknesses in Fairy Tail's guild hall…"

Gajeel felt like he'd fallen into some weird other dimension while Lucy spoke. He'd smelled how nervous she got once Virgo had left, saw the tension radiating from her while she organized what she needed to. Then, all of a sudden, it was gone. When she turned to face everyone, her face was completely devoid of emotion aside from a forced small upturn in the corners of her mouth that made each enunciated syllable sound authoritative, yet still sweet and innocent.  _This is what she was like before she ran away,_  he realized as she started pointing out the key weaknesses in a brief overview of the blueprints so each of the S-Class mages and Master Jose had the same knowledge. Lucy was perfectly poised, her arms delicate and graceful with each motion she made. She was in complete control of the entire room, each of the six mages hanging on every word that passed her lips even though the topic wasn't interesting in the slightest.

"Question," Totomaru said loudly. "If this is Gajeel's mission, then why are you showing it to us?"

"Several reasons, Totomaru," Lucy said. "All of which I will explain to you later on once I have finished. Do not interrupt me again." She turned to continue with her assessment of the guild, dismissing the glare he shot her way and the way Jose seemed to smirk at how she handled herself.

"Why don't you answer me now?" Totomaru asked.

Lucy studiously ignored the Fire mage and continued on with her lecture, refusing to let her anger get the better of her in this situation.

"Come on, Blondie. Just answer the—"

"If I hear one more word out of you," Lucy said sweetly as she turned and gave him a smile that sent a shiver down everyone's spines, "I'm going to string you up by your nuts, skin you with steel wool, and then dip you into a tub filled with lye until you're nothing more than a gelatinous mass of whimpering flesh. Am I making myself clear? Good."

Gajeel smirked when he saw the Fire mage pale and shiver, but the guy was kind of an idiot sometimes. No matter how good he was in a fight when it came to sniffing out disadvantages for himself or his opponent, Totomaru didn't exactly have the most tact in a conversation. Deciding to spare the guy some serious pain later on, and a headache for Gajeel himself when he had to hear Lucy bitching about it afterwards, Gajeel leaned down while Lucy was grabbing Fairy Tail's S-Class mage files and setting them up. "I suggest you listen to her just this once."

Totomaru raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something before glancing at Lucy.

Gajeel grinned, showing all of his pointed teeth, and nodded. "She keeps good on her threats, and she's actually got the skill to back up her shitty attitude."

"Gajeel is correct," Juvia whispered while keeping her eyes trained on the blonde that was scanning over the notes written in the files. "She could easily become S-Class with the skill and power she possesses. She is more ruthless when it comes to a fight than even Gajeel."

"Tch," Gajeel snorted, "I don't know about all that."

"The first two mages," Lucy began, ignoring the conversation that was happening while she got everything set up, "Are Gildarts Clive and Mystogan. Not much information is known about either mage, and it is said that they spend only enough time in the guild itself to get another mission before leaving. Gildarts is alleged to be away on a 100-year mission, and if that is truly the case, then the lack of knowledge on his abilities and power levels will not hinder Master's endeavor." She spent the next few hours going over the rest of Fairy Tail's mages, explaining their strengths and weaknesses, pieces of information about their pasts that could be exploited or used to manipulate them—something Sol seemed extremely intrigued by—and how strong an average magic user of that type would be in comparison to Lucy herself. Once she was finished, Lucy nodded to Master Jose, then turned to the group that had stayed completely silent through the rest of her lecture. "Questions?" she asked.

Totomaru raised an eyebrow at her, then sighed. "Care to answer mine now?"

Lucy nodded shortly, then said, "In the highly unlikely event that Gajeel fails his mission to destroy the Fairy Tail guild hall—which is the only plausible explanation for wanting to know key weaknesses in the infrastructure—then it stands to reason one of the guild's strongest mages would be sent in his stead to complete the assignment while his failure is handled." She paused when Gajeel growled at her in annoyance. "Another reason for showing you information that really only pertains to one person's mission is because there is no telling where you may end up in a fight. Should you be in Magnolia after the attack is launched, then knowing where other weaknesses of the building are at, and how they will affect the structure itself, could prove wholly beneficial. A third reason is that in understanding how the enemy constructs a safehouse, you are able to also understand how their mind works. Where they view weak points, and where they miscalculate, can all become a turning point in a battle. Are those sufficient enough reasons, Totomaru?"

"Yeah," Totomaru grumbled petulantly, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the ground.

"You said there are two truly active S-Class mages that could be an issue?" Juvia asked.

"Yes, Erza Scarlet and Laxus Dreyar," Lucy answered. "Erza appears to be in the guild or around Magnolia often, but Laxus and the Raijinshuu weren't in the area while I was there."

"So it's a possibility that they only have one S-Class mage available," Sol said with a grin.

"Exactly. However, there are several contenders for previous S-Class promotions that have power equal to or greater than my own," Lucy said with a nod. "Freed Justine, Cana Alberona, Natsu Dragneel, Elfman Strauss, and Gray Fullbuster."

"Well, how do we know how powerful they are?" Totomaru asked with a grin. "You could be a little weakling in comparison to us, and if that's the case then we'll wipe the floor with them."

"I would not underestimate Lucy's power, Totomaru," Jose interjected with a smirk. "Celestial mages tend to be much more powerful than most people realize."

"How so, Master?"

"Because when I summon a spirit, I'm opening a link to another world entirely," Lucy answered while she started putting everything back in the appropriate boxes. "Any spirit that enters our world from my opening their gate then feeds off of my magic to stay here. Any magic that they use, along with any energy they consume for even a physical attack or to defend themselves, is drained from my own magic. The stronger the Celestial mage, the stronger the spirit themselves while summoned." Lucy brushed a hand over Horologium's key and internally winced when she realized it was almost five o'clock. "Where would you like the information stored, Master?"

"Somewhere that is unreachable by any others," Jose said with a frown. "I don't want anyone getting their hands on this information—it's far too useful."

Lucy grinned and nodded before calling Virgo back and asking her to store everything in the Spirit World. "No one can get to it there, Master Jose."

"Very well," Jose said. "Gajeel, I will meet with you in a few days for your full mission briefing. Until then, continue studying the blueprints."

Gajeel nodded.

"You are all dismissed."

Lucy bowed her head slightly, then turned and strode out of the office and down the stairs. Ryos was nowhere to be seen, but she knew he'd show up eventually. Once Lucy took her seat at the bar, Tom came by and she quickly settled the bill—which was honestly far too low for Ryos to have eaten properly—then ordered herself another smoothie and a little snack until it the boy showed up.

* * *

Lucy sighed and slowly got up from her barstool, giving the now empty guild one last glance before she walked out into the street with Tom on her heels as he locked up the doors.  _Five hours,_  she thought while she wandered through the empty streets towards Gajeel's apartment. Lucy had sat at the bar for five hours while she waited for Ryos to show up, and he never came. After talking with Tom, Lucy found out that the boy had only timidly gotten a sandwich to eat after Tom had forced him to order something. It seems that even though the barkeep wasn't the smartest guy out there, he still had enough brain cells to know that Ryos not eating anything would have Lucy on his ass.

Ryos had seemed genuinely excited to go out to the bakery after her meeting was finished, so Lucy just couldn't understand why he wouldn't show up. From what Tom told her, Ryos had stayed in the same spot she'd left him for hours while she was upstairs, and ate his lunch only thirty minutes before she came down to find him missing. With a heavy sigh, feeling slightly dejected at the prospect of a lack of sweets with her new friend, Lucy finally crossed the imaginary line between the nicer part of town and the area Gajeel called a home. She absently kicked at the empty bottles lying in her path, watching them roll away from her and sometimes falling down towards the street. It took everything in her to block out the disgusting smell that surrounded the area, and Lucy honestly wondered how and why Gajeel even lived on this side of town. She knew how much S-Class missions could pay out, and he didn't seem to spend much time at his place to begin with, but there were plenty of apartments on the nicer side of town that were just as cheap as the rent he paid here.

The distinct crunch of broken glass pulled Lucy from her whirling thoughts, and she looked up to see what appeared to be a homeless man wobbling a few feet in front of her. Lucy did her best to ignore him, looking up to see that she was nearly in front of the creaky door that led to Gajeel's apartment building, and sidestepped the guy with dexterity she'd gained from her training. She forced herself to stay calm, even though the mere thought of being alone in this part of town had the hairs on the back of her neck standing at attention. Lucy knew she could take care of herself, and that wasn't the issue—it was the sliver of fear that her nightmare from the mountains would manifest somehow, that she would be defenseless. She rushed up the stairs two at a time once she was past the front door, and tried to slow her pounding heart when she came to the third floor.

Gajeel frowned when he heard the pounding heartbeat sounding from the hallway and his nose instantly honed in on the sweet scent of the woman he'd been waiting for. He straightened his arms once more, then dropped his feet to the ground from the handstand he'd been doing—having decided earlier that week that he would change up how he'd been doing pushups—and walked over to his front door.

Lucy giggled at the stunned expression on Gajeel's face when she opened the door and walked right in, closing it behind her. He was only a few feet away, so she knew that he'd been ready to answer the door. "Why are you all sweaty?" she asked with amusement and lust dancing in her eyes as she took in his glistening skin. Her eyes roved over him, from the piercings in his hips that just barely peaked out of the top of his pants, up his deliciously bare abs and chest, and landed on his face. She saw him openly eying her curves, but Lucy was distracted by the fact that Gajeel's hair was actually pulled back and away from his face into a ponytail.

"Exercising," Gajeel answered automatically while he closed the distance between them and pinned Lucy to the door. He grinned darkly at her when her breathing stuttered and she reflexively swallowed at his proximity, then leaned down and captured her lips. His hands slid down her arms until his fingers laced with hers, then Gajeel carefully wrapped them behind his neck. He felt more than heard Lucy giggle slightly into the kiss, and he couldn't help but smirk while he bent down and hooked his hands around her thighs.

Lucy's lips moved slowly over Gajeel's, her tongue lazily swooping into his mouth to brush along his for only a moment before retreating. Once her feet left the ground, with Gajeel pushing her higher on the door, Lucy wrapped her legs around his hips. Her fingers danced along the sweat-slicked muscles in his back and shoulders, and Lucy moved one hand up to play with the ends of his ponytail. She carefully pulled the elastic band from his hair, rolling it over her own wrist for the time being, and sighed contentedly once the silky strands splayed over her fingers. It was surprising that Gajeel's hands hadn't started gliding over her once her legs wrapped around him, and that their kiss hadn't become intense and filled with unbridled passion like it usually did, but Lucy didn't dwell on what could possibly have made him decide to move slowly with her all of a sudden. She always enjoyed the times that Gajeel took it easy, especially since more often than not they were naked and she was screaming his name in a matter of minutes.

Gajeel's hands lightly massaged Lucy's legs, slowly sliding up to her hips so he could feel her silky skin beneath his fingers. After the meeting in Master Jose's office, Gajeel had almost immediately left the guild to get a little air and wait until Lucy was finished with her day with Ryos so he could see her again. It was strange to see her acting like the exact opposite of who she was while she was talking during that meeting, and Gajeel knew then that he would rather be skinned alive that have to see her like that. Regardless of how aggravating and infuriating Lucy was with her loud mouth and outspoken attitude, Gajeel preferred that to the coy and subdued version of her. He loved the way she challenged him constantly, how she didn't back down when he was being a dick, and definitely how the same loud mouth that annoyed him could throw out such vivid and terrifying threats with ease. Part of him felt like an absolute pansy for missing her after a few hours, and tried to tell him to pick it the hell up and ravage the busty blonde. Gajeel ignored it, deciding that he would much rather take his sweet time with her, and was rewarded when she moaned lightly and started pressing soft kisses down to his chin and across his jaw.

"Well, 'hi' to you too, handsome," Lucy whispered with a smile before lightly nibbling on Gajeel's ear. "Miss me?"

Gajeel chuckled and nestled his nose in the crook of her neck when she pulled away. "Always," Gajeel whispered before he pulled back slightly, and pushed his eyebrows together in confusion. "You don't smell like the brat, Bunny. I thought you guys were going out."

Lucy sighed and laid her head on Gajeel's shoulder, not caring in the slightest just how sweaty he was. She took in deep pulls of his spicy, metallic scent while her nose brushed over one of his bite marks. "He never showed," she mumbled. "I waited at the guild until it closed, then came over here since the bakery's already closed anyway. I have no idea where he disappeared to."

Gajeel frowned while he pulled away from the door and carried the petite blonde over to his bed, sitting himself down and keeping her settled on his lap. His hands gently held onto her hips, and he nestled his nose in her hair. "Why do you think he didn't show up?"

Lucy shrugged. "Tom said that he ate about half an hour before we finished the meeting, but he didn't see Ryos leave. He was just… there one minute, and gone the next."

"Bunny, he's a  _Shadow_  Dragon Slayer," Gajeel said softly. "He hides constantly. He was probably at the guild the whole time."

"Then why didn't he come get me?" Lucy asked.

"Who knows?" Gajeel mumbled. He frowned again when he felt how tense Lucy was and sighed while his hands slid up and down her back, pushing under her shirt only so he could feel her bare skin. "What's got you all worked up over it, Bunny?"

"I'm worried about him," Lucy whispered as she pulled back to look into Gajeel's eyes. "I'm pretty sure he's not taking proper care of himself because he doesn't know how to get by on his own."

"If his dragon died when he was five, he's got a few years of practice," Gajeel answered. "Besides, foraging is something he should have learned—"

"But he was still so little when it happened," Lucy countered. "There's only so much information you can retain at that young of an age." Lucy frowned and pushed her eyebrows together, then looked at Gajeel for a moment.

"What?"

"What happens when you don't eat your element?" she asked.

"I told you… You don't wanna know, Bunny Girl," Gajeel answered gruffly.

"Tell me. What if he's not eating properly  _at all_?"

Gajeel sighed and shook his head. "If I didn't eat metal at least once every couple days, I would start feeling sick. Migraines, fatigue, nausea, and probably some other stuff. Dragon Slayers have high metabolisms, which is why we're able to pack away so much food—it ends up going into feeding our magic somehow. That's why we eat our element to begin with; it feeds our magic in a way that normal food can't. Just eating normal food can't sustain our magic, but it can at least sustain our bodies for a bit longer. Because we're humans that had dragon magic transferred to us, we have to eat that element; Metallicana didn't  _need_  to eat metal, he just liked to. After about a week of no metal, my body would try to absorb as much as it possibly could to feed into my magic by eating away at any muscles and fat it found. Then organs. You get the idea."

"How long can you survive without it?" Lucy asked.

"Around two weeks or so,  _my_  body specifically would start pulling metal from my blood to try and keep my magic going, but it would kill me. I don't know about other Slayers on that part though. My magic would try and force me to find metal somewhere so that I wouldn't die, and if there was anything that I could eat then I wouldn't be able to stop myself from doing it." Gajeel paused and said, "You think he's not eating  _anything_?"

Lucy shrugged again and said, "Maybe he doesn't really know how. I mean, he would have to eat shadows, right?"

"I guess."

"Well, I don't know how he would go about doing something like that, but if he's not then… Maybe that's why he wants your help… What if he only eats his element when his body forces him to do it, and he doesn't know how to really do it on his own to stay healthy?"

"Damnit, Bunny," Gajeel grumbled, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close while he nestled his nose in her hair. "I said I'll train him, y'know."

"I know," Lucy whispered with a sigh, "But you said in a couple weeks… He really needs your help, Gajeel."

"We don't even know if that's what wrong though," Gajeel answered. He frowned when he smelled the faintest hints of salt, and said, "Hey… Don't cry, Bunny…"

Lucy sniffled and shook her head, tightening her grip around Gajeel. "I'm not crying," she said with another sniffle, sounding horribly unconvincing even to herself.

"Then what do you call that?" Gajeel asked pointedly.

"I'm working on a new irrigation system for my eyeballs," Lucy answered with another sniffle and a pathetic little laugh.

"That's fucking disgusting," Gajeel chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm still working out the kinks…" Lucy couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face when Gajeel ended up openly laughing at her sad attempt at humor, and found herself laughing right along with him.

"I'll find him tomorrow and talk to him about it, alright?" Gajeel asked softly after their laughter had died down. "It'll just be me and him talking, just in case there's something that you're not allowed to hear about our magic."

"Why are you so secretive about it, anyway?" Lucy asked, pulling back to wipe away the tear stains from her cheeks.

"It's a Lost Magic," Gajeel said. "Tons of people want to know about it, and there are a lot of things that Metallicana told me couldn't be repeated to anyone except for another Slayer. I don't know why there are so many secrets about it, since they don't seem all that important to me in the grand scheme of things, but I told him I wouldn't let those secrets out."

Lucy nodded and smiled at Gajeel. "Okay, I get it," she said with a shrug.

"Seriously?"

"Sure," Lucy giggled, "You made a promise to your dad, and you won't go back on it. I understand completely. If you'd told me that to begin with, I probably wouldn't have been so bitchy about it."

Gajeel rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You couldn't have said that before, Bunny Girl?" he grumbled. "I'm serious though. I'll talk to him. I won't be able to start actually training him if he's not taking care of himself, otherwise he'll be too weak to do anything aside from breathe."

"You'll let me know what's going on, right?" Lucy asked softly. "He said he was going to talk to me about why he wasn't eating while we were out. Maybe he just didn't want to tell me about it."

"If it's something I can tell you, then yeah. I'll let you know," Gajeel said, placing a soft kiss on Lucy's cheek.

Lucy smiled and nestled her nose in the crook of Gajeel's neck, sighing happily with the knowledge that he was willing to help Ryos. "Thanks, Gajeel."

Gajeel smirked and moved so that Lucy was sitting on the bed while he stood up. "Don't thank me yet," he said. "I've got something for you."

"Did you seriously get fucking icing?" Lucy asked with wide eyes, unsure of whether she should feel excited or concerned, as Gajeel winked and walked off into the kitchen.

Gajeel laughed and shook his head, then opened a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out the small gift he'd been planning on giving Lucy for a while now. "No, but I'm planning on it."

Lucy opened and closed her mouth several times, then blinked again and again. "… Are you serious?" she asked. "I can't tell if you're fucking with me right now…"

Gajeel grinned deviously at her and said, "I'm serious, Bunny. You got that damn idea stuck in my head, and now I'm curious to find out just how much you taste like icing. It's gonna be  _delicious_." He palmed the gift, closing his fingers over it so Lucy wouldn't be able to see what he was holding, then walked back over to the bed. "So, I want to give you something… But, I don't want you to get all shitty about it," he said teasingly, throwing Lucy's own words back at her from the night she'd given him the constellation book.

Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled. "I won't get all shitty about it. That's your job."

"Close your eyes," Gajeel said softly while he moved to sit behind her with a leg on either side of her petite body. Once Lucy told him that her eyes were closed, Gajeel opened his hand and nervously bit his lower lip while he carefully placed the necklace around her neck and clasped it, pulling her hair up after he'd finished so it wasn't stuck under the chain. "Take a look, Bunny," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back towards his chest.

Lucy smiled and looked down, then carefully examined the present Gajeel had given her. The chain itself was remarkably thin and delicate in appearance—but once she touched it, Lucy realized it was actually Gajeel's iron that was carefully crafted into small, molded links—and was long enough so the pendant attached to it would be able to easily hide between her breasts. She picked up the pendant and gasped when she realized just what it was. The barghest tooth that she had ripped out of her arm while on that mission with Gajeel had a metallic plating covering the top portion where it had broken off of the monster, and a small hoop that allowed the chain to run freely through it. There were three thin lines of metal running down from the top of the tooth to the end of it, creating a slightly sharper point and encasing it protectively. "How did you…" she whispered with a soft smile.

Gajeel chuckled and lightly squeezed Lucy's waist, nuzzling her hair while he said, "Dragons tend to hoard things, Bunny. I picked it up before we went back to town."

Lucy lightly traced the metal that ran along the tooth and asked, "Why?" That single word asked so many different questions that ran through her mind. Why was he giving this to her? Why had he picked it up in the first place? Why now and not before?

"You'll need to be a little more specific," Gajeel answered.

Lucy blushed and decided to work her way up to the more daunting questions. "Why did you put metal on it?" she asked innocently.

"So it doesn't break when you're in a fight, plus it's a pretty effective weapon if you need it to be—you proved that much already. Now it just has a little more stopping power."

"Why did you pick it up?"

Gajeel blushed, and was silently thankful that she wasn't facing him to see the deep red flush across his cheeks. "I'm not sure," he answered honestly. "It's not often you get a trophy like that from a kill, even though it was your kill and not mine, and you don't usually come across someone that uses a monster's own fucking  _teeth_  against them." He paused and chuckled along with her light laughter, watching as she continued running a finger over the tooth as if she was memorizing every detail. "I guess I wanted to make sure you had a trophy from your first S-Class mission."

"So why now and not that day?" Lucy asked.

Gajeel's blush deepened as he said, "Well, I forgot about it at first with everything that happened with the mayor and then at the hotel. Then later on, I didn't want to let it go. Eventually, I couldn't decide when to give it to you, and after you gave me that book I knew that I wanted to fix it up so that you could hold onto it all the time."

"Why does it seem like there's something you're not telling me?" Lucy asked with a smirk, finally turning to the side and snuggling into Gajeel's bare chest while his arms adjusted around her.

"Too damn perceptive," Gajeel grumbled while he kissed her hair. "You told me that you never have anything to defend yourself with in your nightmares," he said softly. "But, when you go to sleep you don't have your keys or whip actually  _on_  you. Metallicana told me a story once about how you can control your dreams if you know you're dreaming, and the easiest thing to carry into a dream for your subconscious is whatever you're wearing or holding onto."

"So, you think it might give me a way to stop the nightmares when you're not with me?" Lucy asked, looking up into Gajeel's eyes with a soft and hopeful smile.

"It's worth a shot," Gajeel answered with a shrug. "Even if it doesn't work, I still wanted you to have something… so you wouldn't forget about me."

"How could I forget about you?" Lucy asked with a frown, her eyebrows pushing together and her concern evident while she looked at the uncomfortable and saddened expression on Gajeel's face.  _This must really be a sore spot for him,_  she thought. Three times in her memory of their time together, Gajeel had mentioned something about her not being around him any longer, or wanting her to never leave. It seemed that losing his dragon had made one huge insecurity in Gajeel that he couldn't get away from, and Lucy hoped there was a way for him to move past it one day.

"You left so soon after we got back, so I guess I was worried that something would happen and I'd be alone again… I fixed it up while you were away, that way I could give it to you once I knew you were safe," Gajeel mumbled, averting his gaze to stare at a newly discovered 'intriguing' pattern on the wall across the room. "I spent every day and night with you for over a month, and then you were gone. Yeah, it was just a mission a few hours away for a week, but I hated that you weren't here with me." Gajeel sighed and looked back down at Lucy to see her smiling up at him, then decided there really wasn't any reason to keep it to himself. She was crazy enough to love him, and he was just as crazy as she was to love her back, so there was no point in denying anything. "I never thought that I'd actually admit to you or anyone else what I did yesterday—about being abandoned and all that—and it scares the hell out of me that I actually care about someone when it was the last thing I wanted to happen…"

Lucy nodded and silently started tracing the piercings on Gajeel's arm while she let him collect his thoughts. It wasn't often that he would actually talk about what was going on inside his head over things, and even while they had gotten to know each other the day before Lucy had been able to see how hesitant he was over revealing certain parts of himself. She didn't mind waiting for him to figure out how to say what he needed to, because at least he was willing to talk to her about it.

"At least if you have this, then you'll think about me," Gajeel whispered, lifting a hand to the necklace and running his thumb over it. "That mission is where it all started for us… Where I actually opened up to someone for the first time since he left…"

"Gajeel," Lucy said softly as she placed her hand over his on the necklace. She waited until he looked back at her and gave him a warm smile while she said, "I could never forget you. You mean the world to me, and there's no way I could forget that I've got someone that's wonderful, aggravating, sweet, and just… amazing… that loves me for who I am. I'm not going anywhere, okay? You're stuck with me for as long as you want. No matter what happens, I'll always come back to my Dragon."

Gajeel smirked and kissed Lucy's forehead, then said, "You always do, Bunny. I just really don't feel like getting the short end of the stick again and losing someone I care about… I don't think I can take that shit again."

"Well, I'm a stubborn bitch," Lucy said with a smirk. "You'll never lose me."

"How can you be so sure?" Gajeel asked.

Lucy giggled and said, "The same way I'll never lose you." She pointed to her belly button ring and said, "I've got my Dragon right here."

Gajeel smiled down at the little iron piercing, noticing that it was healing nicely and looked perfect on Lucy.  _Damn, I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing that on her…_

"And you…" Lucy trailed her forefinger lightly down Gajeel's chest until it circled around the exposed piercings on his hips, "You've got bunny ears. You said these are mine, so I'll always be with you too."

Gajeel laughed and shook his head at her. "Bunny ears?" he asked.

"Yep," Lucy said with a nod. "That's what they are. Think about it, if they were constellations, you'd have to use your imagination to picture bunny ears… Same basic concept, just with piercings."

"You call them bunny ears in front of anyone, and I'll rip out your tongue," Gajeel growled, though it didn't have nearly as much intensity as it should have because he was still smiling.

"Lies," Lucy said simply with a playful huff.

"You know I'm not a liar, sugartits," Gajeel shot back, grinning like crazy when Lucy stiffened and turned to glare at him.

"Did you just call me 'sugartits'?" she asked.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow and said, "You taste and smell like fucking almonds and  _sugar_. I can tell you right now, your tits are no different."

"Damn," Lucy mumbled, "I guess it's not an insult if you're right…"

"Got that right. Just calling it like I see it," Gajeel said smugly, grunting when Lucy elbowed him in the gut. He growled and tightened his grip on her, leaning down and gently nipping at her neck with a grin and listening to her giggle.

"Thank you for the necklace, Gajeel," Lucy whispered happily before she tucked the tooth into her shirt. "It's perfect."

Gajeel grinned and felt his inner dragon's content purring rumbling from his chest, but couldn't even bring himself to care. He let the familiar wash of relaxing warmth spread through him and nuzzled Lucy's neck again and again while he slowly laid her down on the bed.

"I love you, Gajeel," Lucy whispered with a smile, running her hands through his hair.

"I love you too, Bunny," Gajeel whispered back.

* * *

Lucy and Gajeel were on their way to the guild, just having left the Slayer's apartment, when Lucy got an idea. "Hey, Gajeel?" she asked, stepping over an empty bottle in her path.

"Hm," Gajeel grunted.

"Do you think it would be a good idea for Ryos to have a weapon for his training?" Lucy had been thinking about it ever since Gajeel had agreed to train the boy. She had the use of her whip, which definitely came in handy when her keys were taken or if she was trying to minimize the use of her magic.

"Maybe, why?" Gajeel was doing everything in his power to breathe as little as possible until they were past the derelict section of town. The only reason he lived over here when he made more than enough for a place closer to the guild was because of the way that no one looked at him or bothered him. There were the common thugs that came and went, a bunch of homeless people that took up their cardboard residence in alleyways, and just overall nasty people in the area, but Gajeel was left alone by all of them. There weren't any nosy neighbors to deal with, and there were hardly any people walking in the streets that aggravated him when they didn't move fast enough. It's not like he spent much time at his place even before Lucy dropped into his life, so he didn't see a big deal about moving somewhere else. The only problem was the damn smell once he left the apartment building.

"Well," Lucy said, "You were saying last night that it'll take some time for him to regain his strength from not eating properly, and that it could translate to him not being able to use his magic as much. If he has a weapon to train with first, then his magic can get back to how it's supposed to be while you work on the other stuff. And he'll be able to defend himself at a slight distance from any opponents."

Gajeel nodded with a smirk and said, "Tactics again, huh?"

Lucy shrugged, but let one corner of her mouth hitch up into a half-smile. "It's what I do."

"Well, a weapon might not be a bad idea."

They walked in silence until they finally started seeing the nicer buildings of the rest of Oak Town. Once Lucy could breathe easily, she sighed and said, "Do you think we could stop at a weaponsmith and check some stuff out? There's one on the way to the guild."

"Let's just get to the guild first, Bunny Girl," Gajeel answered.

"We're going to walk right past it, Gajeel. What's the harm in stopping now?"

"I've gotta talk to the brat first."

Lucy crossed her arms and scowled. "Well, if we're just looking then what's the problem? It won't take long…"

"After I talk to him."

Lucy huffed and said, "Fine, I'll just go myself." She started stalking off past Gajeel when she felt his hand clamp down on her arm and pull her to a stop. Lucy scowled and whirled around to glare at the agitated Slayer. "Wha—"

"After," Gajeel growled. Lucy had been worried about Ryos the night before, and Gajeel honestly understood why it had caused her so much distress. If the kid wasn't taking care of himself, and hadn't been for who knows how long, then Gajeel needed to find out just how bad it was before he could even train Ryos. He didn't have an issue with Lucy going to check out weapons, but he figured it would be a good idea to be there with her since he was the one that would be training Ryos with the weapon they chose.

"Not after," Lucy shot back, her voice rising in volume in tandem with her anger. She tried to pull away from Gajeel to no avail.

* * *

The petite blunette smiled happily as she walked down the street with her teammates on either side of her. They had just finished a mission where all three of them had gotten to use their expertise in various fields, and were making their way through town to head to the train station.

"I can't believe how easy it was," the man on her right said happily, running his hands over the fur lining of his coat.

"That's because I used my Knuckle Plant to knock that guard out," the other man said with a wide grin.

"Well, if I hadn't run inside so quickly, we wouldn't have gotten the book before the place collapsed," the first interjected. "Went a little overboard, don't you think?"

The blunette laughed as her teammates argued behind her, then said, "We all worked together, so it's no wonder it was so easy."

Both men paused, then smiled with hearts in their eyes. "You're so right, Levy!" the shouted in unison.

"GODDAMNIT, YOU SORRY SACK OF SHIT! PUT ME DOWN!"

The three mages stopped dead in their tracks when they heard a highly agitated woman screaming just behind them. They all turned around to stare wide-eyed as a huge and highly muscled man with wild black hair, and piercings covering his face and arms, stalked down the street towards them with a sneer on his face and a woman thrown over his shoulder. Levy quickly assessed the situation, and caught a glimpse of the local guild's mark on his right shoulder just barely visible under the feathered sleeve.  _Phantom Lord,_  she thought worriedly.

"Did you hear me?! Put me the fuck down or I'll cut your dick off and feed it to a pack of wolves!"

"Shut the fuck up already!" Gajeel shouted as he roughly shouldered past three idiots standing in his way with a growl. He grimaced when their scents filled his nostrils: something he could only describe as freshly tilled soil from one, too much cologne from another, and musty books from the little blue-haired chick. "God, you're fucking annoying!"

"I'm gonna kick your ass, you prick!" Lucy screeched, kicking her legs and pounding her fists on his back. She paused for a moment to lift her head up, taking in her surroundings and finding that they were only a block away from the guild, far past the weapon shop she had wanted to stop at.

Levy gasped when the blonde woman lifted her head, her hair falling back enough to reveal a deep scowl and furious brown eyes. Their eyes met for only a moment, with something akin to recognition or surprise flashing in the blonde's eyes before she looked away and started yelling again when the pierced man that was carrying her jostled her roughly on his shoulder. "Oh my," Levy gasped once she realized who the woman was.

Lucy dropped down limply on Gajeel's shoulder for a second, and whispered, "There are three Fairies staring at us, Gajeel." She quickly picked up a forced form of her previous anger, and noticed that Gajeel's head turned just slightly so he could hear what they were saying behind them.

"Levy, what's wrong?" Jet asked, not taking his eyes away from the retreating figures.

"That's Lucy Heartfilia," Levy whispered in shock, concern filling her to the brim while she watched the missing heiress being manhandled.

"Isn't she the one that's been in the papers lately?" Droy asked.

"ARGGGGH!" Lucy yelled, wriggling wildly in the hopes of dislodging herself from Gajeel's grasp.

"We should go after them," Jet said firmly, ready to bolt after the pair and help the girl out. "She needs our help."

Levy threw her hand out and frowned. "No, he's in Phantom Lord," she said. "Let's just see where he takes her."

Gajeel growled and tightened his grip on Lucy, wincing slightly when she screeched in pain. "They're following us, Bunny," he said. "Keep up the act."

"It's not an act, asshole," Lucy whispered. "Now, PUT ME DOWN!"

Gajeel smirked and pinched Lucy's ass, snickering when she tensed and squealed.

"Did you just… You fucking pervert!" Lucy yelled, beating on Gajeel's back violently than before. "Don't touch my ass!"

Gajeel snorted and whispered, "Don't wear skimpy shit like this and I'll be less tempted."

"SKIMPY?! I'M IN JEANS!" Lucy bellowed. "CREEPY BITCH!"

Levy, Jet, and Droy stayed several yards behind the pair, walking towards the train station and keeping an eye on what was happening. "Who knew someone like her would use that kind of language?" Droy asked incredulously.

"Why is she in the papers anyway?" Jet asked.

"They say she's been missing for a month now, and that her father is planning on hiring a guild to find her," Levy answered.

"Well, it looks like Phantom Lord kidnapped her," Jet grumbled. "Why can't we just take her now?"

Levy sighed and shook her head. "We're in their home town, so he could be taking her to the guild. It could just be a coincidence that he's in Phantom Lord though, so we need to know for sure that the guild itself is involved. If it's just him, then we can go after them. He might even have found her, and he's taking her to the train station. We'll have to see what he does."

"Well, if he takes her to the guild we won't be able to get her out of there," Droy whispered. "We can't take on a whole guild…"

"Yeah," Jet agreed. "And they're a legal guild so it's not like we could attack them to begin with. Even if we were strong enough to take them all out."

"Right, we'll tell Master about this when we get back to the guild," Levy said, stopping her companions and pulling them into an alleyway to watch the raven-haired mage throw open the doors to Phantom Lord's guild hall and then toss Lucy inside. Loud cheers and raucous cackling could be heard from inside along with more yelling from the young heiress.

_"Master Makarov will know what to do."_

Gajeel scowled when he heard the Fairy's words before taking a step forward and listening to them walking towards the train station.  _No way in hell is her old man taking her back,_  he thought as he stalked past Lucy and up the stairs to Master Jose's office.  _Missing for a month?,_  he thought sourly,  _Bastard probably doesn't want to admit that she ran away six or seven months ago._

"Come in," Jose said, setting his pen down and leaning back in his chair.

Gajeel stalked inside, unable to hide the anger that was quickly spiraling out of control at the thought of someone taking Lucy back to her father. "Master, we have a problem," he said once he was in front of Jose's desk.

"A problem?"

"Some Fairies followed me and Bunny Girl while we were coming to the guild. Her old man's getting ready to hire a guild to 'find' her since she 'disappeared a month ago.' They're heading back to Magnolia to tell their guild master that she's here."

"Where did they follow you from?" Jose asked, furrowing his brow while he tried to rearrange the plans he'd been making concerning Lucy.

"She crashed at my place yesterday," Gajeel answered. "Said that I needed to have those blueprints memorized since I couldn't take them with me when you send me on that mission. We were about a block away from here when they saw us."

Jose raised a surprised eyebrow and slowly nodded.

"They think we kidnapped her."

Jose chuckled and said, "Why would they think that? Her guild mark is always visible with the outfits she wears."

Gajeel snorted and said, "She was being a pain in my ass, so I threw her over my shoulder. I'd rather listen to her bitch about  _that_  on the way here than deal with her shit while I'm trying to eat. They couldn't see her guild mark."

"This does change things," Jose said with a sigh. "I don't need Fairies interfering with my guild members… And I didn't have you go off to train her just so she could be taken away from us." He paused for a moment, then said, "Your mission might be sooner than we had anticipated, Gajeel. Be ready just in case, and don't leave her side for long."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at Jose and stayed silent.

Jose chuckled and said, "If her father is planning on sending out a request to come get her, and the Fairies already know she's here, they could come for her any time. She'll need to have someone there, and I can't just assign someone to the task. She still tolerates you, so you're the one for the job."

"And during my mission?" Gajeel asked. "It'll take a day or two for what you want done."

"I'll speak with her before you leave on your mission, and we'll see what we can work out. How long is the train from here to Magnolia?"

"Four hours or so."

"Wonderful," Jose said with a grin. "I expect you to keep your lacrima with you at all times until this issue is settled. Don't spend too much time in the guild. If they search here first, then they'll find her instantly."

"What the fuck am I supposed to do then? Drag her around like a ragdoll?"

Jose chuckled and shook his head. "You will have to figure that out, though I would recommend trying to keep a lower profile. Now go on before she disappears on us."

Gajeel nodded and stalked out of the office, growling once the door was closed. He didn't have an issue with spending time with Lucy, in fact he loved the idea of keeping her away from the guild and holed up somewhere so he could have her all to himself. What was aggravating was that the asshole who'd ignored her until she ran away was trying to get her back after well over six months of her being gone, and Master Jose had ordered Gajeel to stick by her side.  _Why does he want us together so much?_  He paused once he got to the second floor and peeked over the railing to see Lucy at the bar just like every other day. When Gajeel looked up in the rafters, he smirked once he saw Ryos sitting in his 'hiding spot'. Gajeel hopped from the balcony up into the rafters, coming to sit right next to Ryos. "You've got some fucking explaining to do, brat," he said as he watched Lucy sitting at the bar while she waited for the same smoothie she got every day.

"I know," Ryos whispered, his eyes trained on the blonde as well.

"Why didn't you go out yesterday?"

"I didn't want to tell her…"

"You said would though."

Ryos sighed and nodded. "I feel really bad about it. I wanted to go and spend time with her but… I don't want her to pity me."

"Bunny Girl doesn't pity anyone," Gajeel said with a smirk. "She understands people's pain and tries to make it better. She doesn't feel sorry for people." He glanced at Ryos and said, "She told me you're not eating."

Ryos shook his head with another sigh. "I sleep and eat here. I just hide until Tom closes up, then try to find something that's edible without making a mess. Then I hide again before he opens the doors in the morning. It usually makes me sick when I try to eat too much."

"You're saying you've been living in the guild this whole time?"

Ryos nodded. "I'm not strong enough to take on missions, and even if I was… Who would rent a place to a kid? I don't have anywhere to go, and at least if I stay here I've got a roof over my head and a bed in the infirmary. It's better than sleeping out on the street."

"This is gonna sound like a stupid question, but you're eating your element, right?" Gajeel asked, turning to face the boy.

Ryos just shrugged. "Sometimes," he said softly. "It's hard to do it with regular shadows, but I don't know what to do about it. Skiadrum used to help me when he was alive, and I kind of remember him saying that I didn't only have to eat shadows, but I don't know what else he said would work. I usually don't eat any until my body forces them into me."

"That's part of the problem," Gajeel said with a sigh. "You can't get stronger if you don't eat your element. That's why I'm constantly eating metal. The more powerful you are, and the more powerful your magic is with training, the more you need it. If you don't have it, then your magic sucks out what it needs to keep going from your body. It'll kill you eventually. And the reason you get sick when you eat too much is because you're not eating enough of your element—your body can't handle it."

"I never knew that," Ryos whispered, lowering his head in shame. "I guess I don't remember Skiadrum telling me about what would happen if I didn't eat my element…"

"Well, you're gonna need to figure out a way to take care of yourself—at least when it comes to that. I can try to help you with it, but you're eating something that's not tangible so I've got about as much of an idea as you do," Gajeel said with a frown. "The only way to get your strength up is to eat you element."

"How long will it take?" Ryos asked.

"Couple days if you do it almost constantly," Gajeel answered with a shrug. "Could be less time since you're still figuring shit out."

"How will I know when I've had enough?"

"Instincts," Gajeel said. "You have to listen to what that damn dragon in your head tells you."

"You hear one too?" Ryos asked with wide eyes.  _I thought that was just me missing Skiadrum._

"Yeah. Metallicana told me that it's part of the transfer. Because we got a portion of their magic, we also got their instincts. It manifests itself as a dragon, either  _your_  dragon or just a dragon in general, and helps you figure out what to do as far as that side of yourself is concerned."

"What do you mean, 'that side'?"

Gajeel sighed and leaned back against a beam while he looked at Ryos. "We're humans with dragon characteristics from our magic, so you've got two sides of yourself to think about. There's your human side which is pretty much what you usually do, all of your conscious decisions, stuff like that. Then there's your dragon side which is your magic telling you how a dragon would handle any given situation." Gajeel glanced at Lucy and said, "What does your dragon say about her?"

Ryos looked down at the blonde and smiled. "Protect her."

"Does it say why?"

"Because she cares about me. She's my friend."

"You don't always have to listen to that dragon—to your instincts—but they don't usually steer you wrong," Gajeel continued. "Hell, I fought mine almost the entire time I was on that mission with her."

"What do your instincts say about her?" Ryos asked innocently.

"To make her my mate," Gajeel answered with a snort. "Like  _that's_  gonna happen."

Ryos frowned and turned to Gajeel. "Why wouldn't you?" he asked, bristling with anger. "You already bit her, why wouldn't you make her your mate too?"

"It's complicated," Gajeel grumbled.

"Did she not accept it?" Ryos asked while his confusion started growing.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and pulled the collar of his shirt to the side, showing Ryos the third bite mark Lucy had given him two days prior. "That's not the issue, brat. I'm ignoring my instincts on this one for a reason. I'm more than willing to do it, but I'm not rushing her into it. I haven't even explained it to her."

Ryos stared with wide eyes at the bite mark that Gajeel showed him. He could see where each of Lucy's teeth had punctured Gajeel's flesh, and the dark mark left over it from where she had apparently given him a hickey, but there was something about it that seemed off. It didn't seem to be healing as quickly as a bite wound should for a Slayer, and seeing it made his inner dragon tense up at the thought of becoming too close to Lucy without Gajeel's permission. "Why would you bite each other if you haven't told her?" Ryos asked.

"First time it happened,  _she_  told me to do it," Gajeel said with a shrug, pulling his shirt back into place so the bite wound was hidden. "She knows we can't do it often, and all I said was that something could happen to her if we weren't careful."

"But you didn't tell her about how the bite works? Or what it means?"

"All she knows is that we both get all kinds of loopy afterwards," Gajeel said with a smirk as he remembered just how ridiculous they were while they rode that crazy high. "I told her the same thing Metallicana told me: if you can let go with a Slayer, and they do the same, then that's what happens."

Ryos nodded and kept his face blank while he looked back down at Lucy.  _She doesn't know at all… She's already accepted his offer._ Ryos remembered that intensely weird conversation with Skiadrum very well. Eventually, Ryos would find a woman he wanted to make his mate and he'd bite her as an offer for a real mark. If she returned the bite, and they reacted to it positively—much like how Lucy and Gajeel apparently reacted—then that's her acceptance of his offer to make her his mate. The next time Ryos would bite the woman, his instincts would push him to mark her; along with every bite after that until he finally did. Skiadrum had said it wasn't something to toy around with, that whoever Ryos chose to bite needed to be fully aware of what she was agreeing to if she bit him back. "Will you ever tell her?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," Gajeel said. "We need time to figure this shit out, but I'll tell her. I almost marked her a couple days ago…" He paused when Ryos shot him a glare and growled at him, then said, "My instincts were pushing me to do it, but I stopped myself. I'm not marking her until she knows what she's getting into. She gets to choose whether she wants me for the rest of our lives. That's why I'm giving her time."

Ryos nodded and said, "So, you don't want to jump the gun and scare her off with it."

"Pretty much," Gajeel sighed. "The only time I've gone against my instincts is where she's concerned. Like I said, they won't steer you wrong  _most_  times. But you still have a choice in whether or not you listen to them."

"So, nine times out of ten?" Ryos asked with a smirk.  _If she's the only time he hasn't listened to his instincts, then Gajeel is really stubborn…_

"Yep," Gajeel replied. "So, when your instincts are telling you that you need to eat your element  _before_  it becomes a problem…?"

Ryos sighed and said, "I'll listen." After a moment, he asked, "Do you hear more than just a dragon sometimes?"

"Depends," Gajeel said with a shrug. "I usually do when I'm fighting my instincts, why?"

"What does it sound like?"

"Like a shitty and angry version of me that's arguing against what my dragon's saying."

"Oh," Ryos whispered with a frown. "I don't hear that…"

"What do you mean?"

"I hear shadows talking," Ryos said, shifting uncomfortably and wrapping his arms around himself. "Skiadrum said I'd need to be careful not to listen to them."

"Then, I'd go with what your dad said," Gajeel said carefully. "Probably just a side effect of your element. If anyone would know about that shit, it's the dragon that taught you." They were silent for a only a minute, both Slayers watching Lucy while she ate a small breakfast and tapped lazily on the counter. Gajeel grinned and said, "See what she's doing?"

"She's eating," Ryos answered.

"Listen to the guild for a second."

Ryos frowned, but let the background noise of their guildmates filter back in instead of ignoring it. He quickly glanced around and saw two guys getting into an argument over a card game.

"Keep your eyes on Bunny," Gajeel said. When Ryos turned back to watch Lucy, he started narrating and explaining what she was doing. "See how her head's turned just a little? She's listening to their argument. She's tapping her fingers so she seems bored, but she's really keeping a count of how long between insults."

"Why did she turn back?" Ryos asked.

"Because the fight's about to break out," Gajeel said. "You can't see her face, but she checks her surroundings before focusing on what she's doing again. See how her tapping changed?"

Ryos nodded, watching her fingers go from making a wave to her forefinger and middle finger tapping the bar in a slow and steady pattern. "Why did it change?"

"Listen close and you'll hear her," Gajeel said.

_"5, 4, 3, 2, 1."_

Ryos' eyes went wide when the fight across the guild broke out once she hit one. "How did she do that?" he asked incredulously.

"You have to be aware of your surroundings at all times," Gajeel said. "You can't always rely on sight, and we tend to rely on scent more than anything else. Bunny Girl doesn't have that luxury, but she still gets by." He noticed Ryos tense up when a stool went flying at Lucy, but Gajeel put a hand out. "Watch."

Ryos watched in awe as Lucy bent down with her smoothie in her hand, the straw still up to her lips, and wiped away an imaginary spot on her boot just as the stool would have hit her head. The flying object went sailing over her and the bar, then shattered once it hit the wall. Lucy sat back up and placed her drink down, then took another bite of her meal as if nothing had happened. "How long did it take you to teach her how to do that?"

"I didn't," Gajeel said with a grin, chuckling when Ryos turned to gape at him. "That's what I meant by her having a strong base for me to start training from. She was already able to do that before I trained her, so I just had to work on combat and helping her strengthen her magic."

"I wanna see her fight some time," Ryos whispered while he turned to watch Lucy again.

"You probably don't," Gajeel said. "She doesn't hold back when she's fighting an enemy."

"That's a good thing though, right?"

"Yeah, especially since she doesn't seem to mind killing them. Bunny Girl's pretty fucking sadistic though.  _That's_  what you don't wanna see."

"What do you mean by that?" Ryos asked. "She's nice…"

"Yeah, she's nice when you're not fighting her," Gajeel said with a smirk that faded quickly as he continued. "Remember when I was talking to her in the infirmary? About those guys in the mountains?"

Ryos frowned and nodded.

"What she did to them for trying to hurt her was everything they deserved, and not enough at the same time," Gajeel growled. "She tore them to pieces for what they tried to do. That's the kind of shit you don't want to see, brat. I'm surprised she doesn't have nightmares about what  _she_  did to them. She only has them about what didn't really happen…"

"Did you see it?" Ryos asked.

Gajeel shook his head and sighed. "No, but I did watch her rip out a monster's brain. That was pretty badass. What I'm getting at is that when Bunny Girl's not sparring, when it's a life or death fight, she's totally different than what you and I see all the time."

"Is that from training with you?"

"Nope, that's just who she is. I don't understand it, and I don't want to. All I know is that I prefer sparring with her to being on the receiving end of her psycho-time," Gajeel said. They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Gajeel said, "You know Master will kick your ass if he finds out you're staying here."

"I know… That's why I'm careful, and why I stay out of sight most times."

Gajeel sighed while he looked down at Lucy again. "Don't disappear on her again, brat," he whispered.

"Huh?" Ryos asked.

"She waited here for you yesterday," Gajeel said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Came by my place after the guild closed. She's worried, and you not showing up just made it worse for her."

"I didn't mean to—"

"I know," Gajeel said. "But she's a lot like us when it comes to being left alone."

"Because her mom died?" Ryos asked sadly.

Gajeel nodded and said, "And her dad's a shitbag that's trying to take her away from us for good."

Ryos' eyes widened and his head shot up to look worriedly at Gajeel. "What do you mean? I don't want her to leave…"

"I mean just that. She ran away from home, and now her old man is trying to take her back. She ran away for a damn good reason, so I'm not letting her go without a fight," Gajeel said. "I told her that I'd never let him take her away…"

"I'm not letting her go either," Ryos agreed firmly with a scowl.  _No way is he going to take Lucy away. She's the first person who's ever cared about me…_

"Then you need to get stronger. And when you tell her you'll do something, make sure you do it… I fucking hate seeing her crying."

Ryos flinched when he realized that he was the reason for Lucy's tears. "I… I made her cry?" he asked.

"She's worried about you, of course she fucking cried," Gajeel said. "She was spot on about that shit too."

"Huh?"

"She had you pinned on why you weren't eating," Gajeel said. "She even asked me about you not eating your element, which is why I brought it up. I honestly thought that would be something you'd already know."

"I should go apologize," Ryos whispered guiltily.

"Yeah, but not in here. She might end up getting all teary-eyed, and I know she won't want anyone in the guild to see that. Give her a minute, and we'll go out to the training grounds to talk to her about this shit."

"You really care about her, huh?" Ryos asked with a small smile.

Gajeel sighed and watched Lucy pay Tom for her meal, then get up and walk out towards the training grounds. "I love her, brat" he whispered. He looked back over to Ryos and said, "That's why I'm ignoring my instincts on the whole mating thing. She loves me—she's fucking insane for it, but she does—and now this shit with her dad and Fairy Tail is going on. I can't talk to her about it while this is happening, because if she actually agrees to it and I lose her after marking her… It'll kill me."

Ryos frowned and nodded, then said, "Well, I hope you tell her soon. You guys go well together… Even if you beat each other up constantly."

Gajeel chuckled, watching Ryos relaxing slightly. "Come on, sneak outside with me and we'll go figure this shit out with Bunny. You owe her a trip to that bakery anyway."

Ryos blinked several times and quickly stood to his feet. He followed Gajeel through the rafters and outside through the window he used every night to sneak in or out of the guild. Once outside, they quickly made their way down to the training field and saw Lucy sitting in the bleachers talking to a guy in a horse costume. "Who's that?" Ryos asked.

"Sagittarius," Gajeel answered. "He's one of her spirits. Fucking awesome at archery." Gajeel landed silently on the ground and turned to see that Ryos was already standing next to him. "Shit, you've got stealth going for you," he muttered.

Ryos smirked and said, "Shadows, remember?"

"True." The pair made their way over towards Lucy on the bleachers, and Gajeel grinned when she glanced at them and instantly brightened up before dismissing Sagittarius. "Special delivery," Gajeel called out when he and Ryos were only a few feet away.

Lucy giggled and rolled her eyes, then forced herself to walk slowly over to the pair of Slayers. She wrapped Ryos in a loving embrace, smiling softly when his arms wrapped around her waist, and looked up at Gajeel. "You guys talked?" she asked.

Gajeel crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. "He's got some shit to talk to you about, but Master said we need to stay away from the guild until my mission."

Lucy frowned and tilted her head to the side, not letting Ryos go. "Why?" she asked softly.

"I'll tell you later on."

"Why can't you tell me now?" Lucy asked cautiously.

"Because I'd rather be able to hold you when I say it, and I can't even fucking touch you right now," Gajeel growled, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment. "Either way, I'm on Bunny detail for the time being, and we still have to go over those blueprints."

"And go to the bakery," Ryos added with a small smile when he pulled away to stand next to Lucy.

"And to the weapon shop," Gajeel added with a grin. "Looks like you've got a fully day, Bunny."

Lucy laughed and rolled her eyes at the two Slayers that were apparently acting as her escorts for the day. "A very full day," Lucy said as Gajeel moved to stand on her other side. "Where to first?"

"Weapons, Bakery, and then your place?" Gajeel asked as they started making their way to the side entrance of the training grounds.

"Sounds good to me," Lucy said. "How about you, Ryos? Are you up for a field trip to a weapon shop?"

"Sure," Ryos answered with a nod.

"I'd hope so," Gajeel said. "We're gonna find you a weapon for your training."

When Ryos gaped at Lucy and Gajeel, Lucy giggled and nodded before kissing his forehead. "It's best to not rely only on your magic, just in case there's a time where you can't use it."

"See? He's getting hugged  _and_  kissed," Gajeel grumbled, "Fucking bullshit."

Lucy rolled her eyes and said, "I'll make up for not thanking you properly for finding Ryos when we're at my place," Lucy said with a nod.

"Pretty sure the brat doesn't wanna watch us fucking, Bunny," Gajeel retorted with a chuckle, grunting when Lucy jabbed him in the side.

"That's not what I meant, ass," Lucy muttered. "Keep it up, and you'll be sleeping in your own damn bed. Alone."

"Don't be a bitch," Gajeel said with a glare.

"Don't be a perv, then," Lucy shot back.

"I thought you liked me being a perv," Gajeel said with a smirk.

"Maybe," Lucy said with a huff, wrapping her arm around Ryos' shoulders and lightly squeezing them.

"Don't lie," Gajeel teased, "You love it."

"Nope," Lucy said, turning her head away and giving Ryos a playful wink.

"Fine, don't admit it," Gajeel said, smirking slightly. "I still love ya."

Ryos and Gajeel both laughed when Lucy stumbled in her shock, and she quickly righted herself to stare wide-eyed at the Iron Slayer. "Uh…" she said dumbly.

"It's okay, Lucy," Ryos said. "Gajeel told me."

A deep blush colored Lucy's cheeks and she looked from Ryos to Gajeel who only nodded. She picked her jaw up and her mouth curved into a sweet smile while she looked at the ground. "Love you too," she whispered.  _What the hell were they talking about that Gajeel told him about_ _ **that**_ _?,_  Lucy wondered.

* * *

Levy jumped off of the train as soon as they arrived in Magnolia, with Jet and Droy hot on her heels. "Come on," she yelled back to them, "Who knows what happening to her!"

"Levy, relax!" Droy called out, apologizing to several people that he bumped into while trying to keep up with the small woman. "Why don't you send Jet ahead to the guild so we know Master's actually  _there_?"

Levy grinned at Droy and nodded. "That's a great idea! Jet, can you—"

"Got it!" Jet shouted just before he activated his magic and rushed off to the guild.

Within ten minutes, Levy and Droy arrived at Fairy Tail, panting slightly but still in a hurry. They burst through the doors and were surprised to see that there wasn't already huge brawl under way. Ignoring that for the time being, Levy rushed up to Jet when she saw him motioning from the stairs towards Master Makarov's office.

Makarov stood up quickly from his chair when Team Shadowgear rushed into his office. "What is wrong, children?" he asked worriedly.

Levy held up a finger then bent over and placed her hands on her knees while she tried to catch her breath from bolting up the stairs along with running from the train station. "Phantom… Lord…" she panted.

Makarov frowned and nodded to Jet to close the door to his office. "What about them? Has something happened?"

Levy thanked Jet once he led her over to a chair in front of Makarov's desk. With one last deep breath, she said, "You've read the recent articles about the missing heiress, right Master?"

"Lucy Heartfilia?" Makarov asked.

"Yes. They say she went missing from her father's estate last month. There was something about a security breach, and she was kidnapped in the middle of the night. He's had his own men searching for her, but hasn't had any luck finding her," Levy said with a nod. "It's rumored that he'll be hiring a mages guild to find her and bring her back home."

"What does this have to do with Phantom Lord?" Makarov asked.

"They kidnapped her," Levy answered. "We saw one of their members carrying her to their guild hall while we were in Oak Town."

"Is she hurt?" Makarov asked.

Droy laughed and shook his head. "Not when we saw her. She was cursing up a storm at the guy."

Jet laughed along with Droy and nodded in agreement. "She's worse than Laxus, Master."

Makarov raised an eyebrow then looked at Levy. "Are you sure it was her? That doesn't sound like—"

"I'm sure," Levy said firmly. "It didn't make sense to us either, but it's her… And she does have quite the potty mouth.

"She said she was going to feed the guy's genitals to a pack of wolves after she cut them off," Jet interjected shakily, nodding solemnly when Makarov paled at the description.

"Master, what should we do?" Levy asked. "We wanted to make sure he wasn't taking her to the train station to return her to her father's estate, so we followed them. We wanted to help her, but…"

"Levy, child," Makarov said with a smile, "I understand, and I'm glad you returned to inform me of what you've found. I'll contact her father and tell him that we'll be sending an S-Class mage out to retrieve his daughter."

Makarov quickly pulled out a communications lacrima from his desk along with a newspaper. He skimmed the paper to find the article he'd read about the missing girl, and finally saw her father's name. Jude Heartfilia. The pieces of who this girl was quickly fell into place, and Makarov only hoped that the man would be willing or able to answer his call. Sending a small pulse of magic into the lacrima, Makarov focused on the person he wished to reach, and sighed in relief when he was greeted with a stoic, blond man with a moustache and finely tailored business suit. "Jude Heartfilia, correct?" Makarov asked solemnly.

"Yes," Jude said.

"I am Makarov Dreyar, the guildmaster of Fairy Tail. Some of my guild members have informed me that they have located your daughter."

"Where is she?" Jude asked, his voice the same baritone as always and giving no show of emotion over his wayward daughter.

Makarov tensed slightly, noticing how calm the man on the line seemed to be about the whole thing. "Is it true that you are looking for a mage to retrieve her?" he asked.

"That depends on where she is."

"We believe she has been kidnapped by a mages guild," Makarov said, "I am willing to send at least one of my highest ranking mages to bring her to you."

"When?"

Makarov narrowed his eyes slightly, then said, "The first available mage will not be here for another day or so. I will send her out immediately upon her return."

Jude thought for a moment, giving the older man's image a calculating once-over, then nodded. "Very well. I will have the request sent to your guild with any information your mage might require."

Makarov nodded once and cut off the lacrima, frowning at the top of his desk. Something was off about Jude's reaction to his daughter having been found. He wasn't excited by it, there were no tears of joy or even a smile. If one of Makarov's brats had been kidnapped, and someone gave him a call to say they would be brought home safely, he would have bawled his eyes out and jumped for joy.  _He didn't even ask if she was alright,_  Makarov thought.  _Just what kind of parent wouldn't ask such a simple question over the well-being of their child?_

"Who are you sending?" Jet asked.

"It will have to be Erza," Makarov said with a sigh. "Natsu and Gray stole an S-Class mission, and she has been sent to retrieve them. They should be back the day after tomorrow."

"Why not Laxus?" Levy asked. "He should be closer, right?"

Makarov sighed and said, "He's disappeared again. That boy even refused to go after those two idiots, that's why Erza isn't here." He looked at each of the members of Team Shadowgear and said, "You have done all you can for now. Erza will handle it once she returns."

With that, Levy took her teammates out into the main guild hall and quietly sat down at their usual table, their worry over the young blonde evident on each of their faces.

* * *

Jose frowned and crushed the small transmitter he'd been listening in on in his hand. Thankfully, he had a few contacts in Magnolia to help him keep an eye on those damn Fairies, so when he made a call and said he needed a small listening device to be attached to one of the Fairy Tail members that was getting off of the train, it was done quickly and efficiently. Listening in on Makarov's conversation with 'his children' was interesting to say the least. Jose knew that the correct target had been tracked when the first words the female said were his own guild's name, and then Lucy's.

Makarov was planning on sending an S-Class mage—specifically Erza Scarlet—to take Lucy away, and had gotten her father's approval for it. While this changed the timeline for his own plans, Jose grinned when he realized just how he could make it work to his advantage. Gajeel had definitely slipped that day when he came storming into Jose's office, not only in how angry he was over the threat of Lucy being taken, but also when he mentioned that she slept at his home. No one went there, and no one would ever  _want_  to go to the small apartment the Slayer lived in. Jose couldn't understand why she would have gone to his place when the pictures he had in the top drawer of his desk showed them at her apartment instead, but it really didn't matter. What was important was that Gajeel finally had a weakness, and Jose was more than willing to exploit the weakness he had created to make the man do just what he wanted.

All Jose needed was to explain the situation to Gajeel, and give him the orders to destroy Fairy Tail's guild hall, then send him on his way. More than likely, the Slayer would go above and beyond the call of duty to send a message to Fairy Tail, and that was exactly what Jose needed. He was tired of waiting to get his revenge against Makarov for all those years ago, and the time had finally come to tear his guild to pieces. Everything was falling into place for the attack on Fairy Tail, and one idea that was merely a fleeting thought stuck in Jose's mind just before he called Gajeel to let him know about his mission.  _Lucy is a wonderful tool to use,_  he thought.  _She'll prove useful in what's to come._

Jose chuckled darkly as he pulled out his communication lacrima and called Gajeel. Once the scowling Slayer appeared on the screen, Jose said, "Meet me tomorrow morning at ten for your mission briefing." Gajeel's single nod was all Jose needed before he cut off the connection, a wide and malicious grin spreading across his face at the prospect of decimating those Fairies once and for all.

 


	11. Arc 1: A Day with Two Dragon Slayers

 

Once Lucy was back at her home with two Dragon Slayers in tow, they all sank tiredly into the chairs around her kitchen table. The trip to the weapon shop actually proved to be a great idea. Gajeel convinced Lucy to exchange her slightly worn whip for one that had small spikes jutting out all along the length of it, saying that he would replace them with his own iron so he wouldn't be tempted to eat it in the middle of the night. Ryos had no idea where to start looking, so he let Gajeel lead him through the shop. Eventually Ryos said that he would want to learn how to use a weapon that Gajeel was most comfortable with teaching him, which ended up being a sword. Ryos wouldn't have been able to handle one that was similar to the sword that Gajeel could shift his arm into, and with his diminished strength right then the best they could do was start with a katana. Even Gajeel had been able to find a good deal on some scrap metal that the shop owner had out back from damaged weapons.

The trip to the bakery had been interesting to say the least. As they made their way closer to it, Lucy couldn't help but giggle when Gajeel waggled his eyebrows at her. Ryos' reaction to the smells coming from the bakery were absolutely adorable in her eyes, and the moment the boy realized that Lucy's scent seemed to be coming from inside as well, his confusion had made her heart melt. Gajeel had ended up explaining that the older Ryos got, and the more he honed his senses, the better he would be at discerning whether what he was smelling was also human—though Gajeel did admit that he'd made the same mistake when he passed by this same shop before in thinking that Lucy was inside. Gajeel had insisted that Lucy and Ryos go on inside and have a rain check on their plans for the previous day, saying that he would head to his apartment and pick up some clothes for the night, then meet them back at the bakery.

Lucy glanced at the time and realized that they had been out for nearly seven hours between the time spent at the weapon shop and bakery, and walking between them all. "Ugh," Lucy grumbled, "I don't wanna cook…"

"Bunny, you two just ate half the damn bakery, I think you'll be fine," Gajeel chuckled.

"No we didn't," Lucy pouted. "Besides, it's almost dinner time. And if Ryos here is going to get healthy again, then he needs to actually eat."

Gajeel raised his eyebrow at her, then said, "Well, I can cook if you  _really_  don't want to… but I can't promise you'll enjoy it."

Lucy shuddered and paled, then quickly shook her head and jumped to her feet. "Nope, I'd like to live until at least next week. I'll pass on your 'cooking', Gajeel."

"Is it really that bad?" Ryos asked.

Gajeel grinned and crossed his arms over his chest. "She doesn't like the fact that I cook metal into the food. It's fucking delicious."

"It's fucking insane!" Lucy shouted from the kitchen. "You should at least  _warn_  someone before they nearly crack a tooth on a fucking screw!"

"It was a nail, Bunny!"

Lucy's head popped out of the doorway to the kitchen while she glared at Gajeel and pointed a wooden spoon at him. " _That_  is not what's important," she said, "Tell me next time so I can pull out all of the damn metal first!"

"Wait," Gajeel said with wide eyes, "You'd actually eat what I cooked if you knew there was metal in it?"

Lucy laughed and nodded. "Aside from the choking hazard, it was pretty good. I can just eat around it  _if I know it's there_."

"You're fucking nuts, you know that?" Gajeel asked with a smirk.

"No, I'm not!" Lucy shouted from the kitchen again.

"Watch this," Gajeel whispered to Ryos, then turned back towards the kitchen and raised his voice so Lucy could hear him. "Insane?"

"No!"

"Bat shit crazy?"

"Goddamnit!"

"You're a fucking looney tune!"

"You're treading on thin ice, sewer grate…"

"Bunny, I think I know why you thought it was a screw that you bit…"

"Why's that?"

"Because you've got a screw loose!"

Ryos couldn't help but grin as he watched Lucy and Gajeel interacting. He had seen a small glimpse of what they were like around one another when they'd all been in the infirmary, but it was more of Gajeel being nice than anything else. Now, he got to see what happened when they were away from everyone else. At Gajeel's last comment, Lucy threw a butter knife at Gajeel's head, which caused Gajeel to crack up when he caught it and started eating the knife.

"You'd better make me a damn knife, Gajeel," Lucy said with a smirk.

Ryos watched Gajeel lay his hand on the table, then saw a soft green glow emanating from it while he used his magic. Once he was done, he held up an iron knife and threw it at Lucy. Ryos tensed while he watched it sail across the room to Lucy, but relaxed when she caught the knife and walked back into the kitchen after sticking her tongue out at the Iron Slayer. Not a minute later, she walked back out with a sweet smile while she looked at Gajeel. One look at the pair showed Ryos that they were really in love with one another—Gajeel's eyes softened considerably while he looked into Lucy's eyes, a small smirk crossing his face and showing his pointed canines, the way that Lucy slid into Gajeel's lap like it was the most natural place for her to sit—and he honestly couldn't be happier for them. As long as Lucy was happy with Gajeel, then Ryos and his inner dragon were perfectly fine with the older Slayer being in her life.

Lucy blushed and pressed her lips to Gajeel's, letting his hair thread through her fingers, and smiled when he moved to kiss the tip of her nose. "Thanks for finding him, Gajeel," she whispered, laying her head on his shoulder and smiling over at Ryos.

"Sure, Bunny," Gajeel said. "We've got some shit to talk about, and the brat's gonna tell you himself what happened yesterday."

Ryos grimaced at the thought of telling her what he'd said to Gajeel, but one pointed look from the man left Ryos sighing and nodding. "I'm sorry for not showing up, Lucy," he said sheepishly, "I was worried that you'd feel bad for me when you found out…"

Lucy frowned and asked, "About why you're not eating properly?"

Ryos nodded again. He looked pleadingly at Gajeel, hoping the guy would understand that he didn't want to admit it to her, and sighed in relief when Gajeel nodded.

"He's having a hard time figuring out how to eat his element," Gajeel said while he rubbed slow circles on Lucy's thigh. "His dragon used to help him out, and now he usually doesn't do it until his body forces it to happen."

"That's why you're not eating regular food either?" Lucy asked softly, never taking her concern-filled brown eyes off of him.

"I can't eat too much or it makes me sick," Ryos admitted.

Lucy turned to look at Gajeel, and he added, "Part of not eating his element. His stomach can't handle it right now."

"So, you just need to figure out how to eat shadows on your own, and you'll get better?" Lucy asked Ryos, smiling when he nodded.

"He's been living at the guild, Bunny," Gajeel said, sighing when Lucy tensed up in his arms.

Lucy's smile fell instantly while her mind whirled with the thoughts of what could happen to him if he kept staying there, why he hadn't found somewhere to live before.  _If he's too weak to feed himself, then he wouldn't be able to take missions,_  she thought,  _And if he can't take missions, then he has no money for a place to live…_  There were plenty of places that would take in someone Ryos' age, but she doubted any of them would be willing to house a kid that was also in a mage guild—especially not with the reputation that Phantom Lord had. "Not anymore," Lucy said firmly. "You're staying here."

"Huh?" Ryos asked, his head shooting up to gape at Lucy.  _Here? But, why…_

Gajeel smirked and nuzzled Lucy's hair, already having known that the little blonde would say something like that. Lucy was a total psycho when she needed to be, but deep down he'd already figured out that she had a heart of gold. If she hadn't offered Ryos a place to stay, Gajeel would have even though his place wasn't exactly the greatest environment for a kid. At least there was enough room for Ryos to stay there while he was in training. "You sure, Bunny?" he asked softly. "He can always crash at my place."

Ryos looked at the pair and honestly had no idea what to do. Two people, one of which was the man he'd idolized for a long time, had offered to help him out. Gajeel was going to train him, help him figure out how to be a Dragon Slayer that Skiadrum could be proud of, and had already taught him something he didn't know about their magic. Lucy had been helping since they met—protecting him from Gajeel, taking care of his wounds, giving him comfort, getting Gajeel to hear him out about training, and even feeding him—and now she was offering him a place to live. "Y-You don't… have to do that," he mumbled.

"You're right," Lucy said softly, "I don't have to, but I want to." She turned to Gajeel and said, "Besides,  _your_  place never has anything to eat aside from that death trap you call a snack. Honestly, one wrong move and he'd be impaled by a piece of fucking rebar."

"Hey, that rebar tastes good," Gajeel shot back. "You've got a point though. I only have beer and metal there on a regular basis."

"Exactly," Lucy said with a triumphant grin. "At least if Ryos is here I can make sure you don't try to kill him with your cooking."

"But…" Ryos whispered, feeling his heart pounding in his chest from some unknown anxiety. "I'm fine at the guild… Really…"

Lucy and Gajeel froze and turned to look at Ryos, then Lucy sighed when she realized that she needed to get back into the kitchen to keep working on dinner. "Go on, Bunny," Gajeel said as he pressed a kiss to her temple, "I'll talk to him."

Lucy smiled and nodded at Gajeel, then stood up and walked over to Ryos and gave him a quick peck on the top of his head before making her way back to the kitchen.

"Gajeel," Ryos whispered as he stared at his hands. "Why would you guys do that for me?"

"Do what?" Gajeel asked, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. "Give you a place to stay?"

Ryos nodded.

Gajeel sighed and shook his head. "You're as bad as Bunny Girl when it comes to accepting help, aren't you?" he muttered. After a moment, Gajeel leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and lightly smacked Ryos' leg to get his attention. "She would have found out eventually, you know. It was seriously gonna happen either way. She loves helping people—might not seem like it, but she does—and you're the first friend she's ever had that wasn't one of her spirits."

"What about you?" Ryos asked. "Aren't you her friend, too?"

Gajeel chuckled and said, "We're a lot of things, but I don't think 'friends' is one of them." He paused and rolled his eyes when he felt the small pulse of magic from his communication lacrima that signaled he was being called. "Hold on," Gajeel mumbled as he pulled it from his pocket and scowled at the image of Master Jose on the screen.

"Meet me tomorrow morning at ten for your mission briefing."

Gajeel nodded and cut off the lacrima, setting it on the table with a sigh.  _Talk about moving up the mission,_  he thought sourly. Jose usually only had him meet for a briefing early in the morning if he wanted Gajeel to leave that same day, which meant that he'd only get tonight with Lucy before he had to head out. "Why don't you want her help?" he finally asked Ryos.

"That's not it," Ryos muttered, his eyebrows pushing together. "I just don't understand it…"

"You don't need to understand it. Do you trust her?"

Ryos nodded.

"Do you  _want_  to stay here instead of at the guild?"

Ryos shrugged.

"Alright… What do you think you should do when you're confused about something?" Gajeel asked.

"I don't know, that's why it's confusing…"

"Remember what I said about you having two sides?" Gajeel asked. When Ryos nodded, he asked, "What are they saying?"

"One says it doesn't understand why you guys would be willing to help me. The other says…" Ryos frowned, listening intently in the hopes of figuring out what his instincts would tell him to do.

"Don't try to force it," Gajeel said while he leaned back in his chair. "Take your time. Eventually it becomes second nature, and happens without you even focusing on it."

"But I didn't have to focus earlier," Ryos said.

"It comes and goes until you're used to it. If it doesn't pop up automatically, then you have to focus."

"How?"

"Close your eyes," Gajeel said, "Take a deep breath." He watched Ryos instantly following his instructions and felt a small smirk turn up the corner of his mouth. "Picture your dragon."

Ryos took another deep breath and pictured Skiadrum just as he remembered him. His massive father instantly popped up in his mind with the same inky black scales he had loved to run his hands over. Everything was exactly the same: the sharp horns on top of Skiadrum's head, the small shadow-like pointed chin, the mane of shadows that ran down his spine, and even the constant stream of shadows that seeped from his body.

"Now, picture yourself walking up to him," Gajeel said slowly. "Don't forget to keep breathing."

Ryos nodded, and pictured himself as he was now walking through a field at dawn towards Skiadrum. He paused in front of his father, smiling happily up at the dragon he'd missed for seven years.

"You there with him?" Gajeel asked.

Lucy tilted her head to the side and peeked around the corner from the kitchen to see Ryos and Gajeel sitting in complete silence. Wiping her hands on her apron, Lucy walked out to see what was going on. "Ga—"

Gajeel's hand shot up to silence her, placing a single finger over his mouth then pointing to Ryos. He saw Lucy's mouth clamp shut while she stopped moving altogether, and Gajeel looked back at Ryos when the boy nodded. "Ask him what you should do," Gajeel said. He saw Ryos' mouth open and said, "Not out loud. Just think it. He'll hear you."

Lucy smiled softly at Gajeel then turned back towards the kitchen.  _Training already, I guess,_  she thought.

Ryos looked up at Skiadrum and smiled again when his father slowly lowered his head. Ryos lifted his hand and settled it on Skiadrum's snout, feeling the familiar warm breath breezing past him and pushing his hair away from his face.  _"What should I do?"_  he silently asked his father.

_"About what? You haven't told me anything."_

Ryos grinned when he heard Skiadrum's voice, somehow both rumbling and raspy just the way he remembered.  _"Lucy says I can live with her… I don't understand why she wants to help me."_

 _"Silly boy,"_  the dragon whispered fondly,  _"She's your friend."_

 _"What should I do?"_  Ryos asked again.

_"That's not for me to answer."_

"He won't answer my question," Ryos mumbled.

"Ask what  _he_  would do," Gajeel said.

Ryos watched Skiadrum chuckle lightly, shaking his head and nestling a little closer to Ryos' hand that was still on his snout.  _"You've found a Slayer to teach you,"_  Skiadrum said.  _"I would tell her yes, Ryos. Let her help you. You might find that she needs your help just as much."_

Ryos frowned as he watched his father pull back and turn slightly before flying off into the air. He didn't want Skiadrum to leave him again, but the whisper on the wind that blew past him made Ryos feel at ease.

" _I'm here, Ryos. In your heart, I'll always be here."_

After he had completely disappeared from sight, Ryos' eyes fluttered open to see Gajeel watching him with a blank face.

"Did you get your answer?" Gajeel asked.

Ryos smiled and nodded. "I think I'll listen to his advice," he said. "Thanks, Gajeel."

Gajeel smirked at the boy. "Told you those instincts won't steer you wrong." Based on the look in Ryos' eyes, Gajeel knew that he'd felt like he was talking with his own dragon again. The same thing had happened the first time Gajeel had focused on his instincts and actually asked for guidance, and the fact that Ryos wasn't bawling like a baby right then actually garnered some respect from the Iron Slayer. When Gajeel saw Metallicana in his mind that first time after losing him, with that shit-eating grin and even shittier attitude, that same voice that kept telling him that he had a sour look on his face, and the oddly comforting feeling of his perfectly smooth metallic snout pressing against Gajeel's hand… Gajeel broke down in tears once he came back to reality. He was a sniveling pile of whirling emotions once he realized that the image of his own father would be with him forever, but as nothing more than a memory or a figment of his imagination if he never found the iron gecko again.  _Maybe it's different for him since there's no hope to find the dragon,_  he thought. "What did he say?"

"He said I should let her help me," Ryos answered, "That she might need my help just as much."

"Damn," Gajeel chuckled while he shook his head. "Yours is definitely more helpful than mine."

"How so?" Ryos asked.

"That bastard usually doesn't say much. I've gotta figure out what the hell he's trying to tell me from the sounds he makes. Metallicana was like that though—he hated talking like a human, so he insisted that I learn how to figure out what he was trying to tell me based on how he was growling and shit like that," Gajeel said with a reminiscent smile. "It was just like you remember though, right?"

Ryos nodded happily. "It's the first time I've seen him in years. Usually if my instincts tell me something, it's just a voice or a feeling. I've never actually seen who was behind the voice though."

"When it becomes second nature to you, when you're used to tuning in to your instincts, it could go either way," Gajeel said firmly. He wanted to make sure that Ryos didn't get disappointed if he didn't actually see his dragon when his instincts were trying to tell him something. "You could either see him in your head like you did just now, but you won't be solely focused on him.  _Or_  it could end up staying as a voice and feelings—like warning bells or feeling sick to your stomach over something—and you'll only see him when you focus on it. Either way, it's the same thing." Gajeel paused for a minute, then added, "You said something about hearing shadows before…"

"Yeah."

"What do they say?"

"Different things," Ryos whispered uneasily. "I try to ignore them, so I don't really know what they're telling me."

"You'll need to make sure that you can tell the difference between the voice of your instincts and the shadows," Gajeel said with a frown. "Your dragon said to be careful with them, and that could easily mean that they'll try and trick you into thinking you're following your instincts."

Ryos shivered and nodded. "I'll try."

"There's no 'try' about it," Gajeel said. "One thing Metallicana told me was that there are some elements that have serious consequences to gaining their power. A lot of them had died out by then, but yours is probably one of the ones he meant. If your dragon told you not to listen to them, then there's a damn good reason he said it. You have to take that shit to heart. He wouldn't have said it if it wasn't important."

"I wish I'd gotten more time with Skiadrum," Ryos mumbled. "Then I wouldn't be so lost with all of this stuff."

"You're doing fine, brat," Gajeel said gruffly. He smirked when he heard Lucy humming softly to herself in the kitchen, then glanced outside to see that the sun was already just past the horizon with only a small orange sliver still in the sky. "Bunny," he called out.

"Yeah?"

"How much time do we have?"

"Twenty minutes maybe," Lucy said as she walked out into the main room with a smile. "Why?"

"Gonna work on his magic for a bit," Gajeel said. "See if I can't figure out this whole eating shadows thing."

Lucy giggled and nodded, then looked over at Ryos and said, "I'd recommend explaining how you're supposed to eat them the same way your dragon told you."

"Too damn smart for your own good, Bunny," Gajeel chuckled. He looked over at Ryos and loudly whispered, "I'm pretty sure she's a Slayer, and she's just hiding it."

Ryos laughed and nodded, then turned to see Lucy openly gaping at them with the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. "Probably," he said back to Gajeel. "She seems to know a lot about it."

"Very funny," Lucy said with a smirk, crossing her arms under her chest. "Gajeel, if you make me a whole new set of cutlery, you can have mine as a snack while you guys are working."

Gajeel's jaw dropped. "Seriously?" he asked.

"Yep. I want one for one though," Lucy said as she made her way back into the kitchen to grab the tray that held all of her eating utensils. "I don't think you had any metal while we were at the guild earlier, so why not? Besides, then I'll never have to worry about you eating my forks."

Gajeel stared at Lucy as she emptied the tray of utensils on the table in front of him. Two different sizes of forks and spoons, tons of butter knives, even serving utensils were all laid out and making his mouth water. "I should probably make it before I eat this," he mumbled to himself.

Lucy and Ryos watched Gajeel quickly sort out all of the metal on the table, counting each piece and double checking the sizes of everything before he started channeling his magic on the bare space in front of him. After only a couple of minutes, he was finished and Lucy had an entirely new iron set of utensils that she quickly placed in the tray before walking off to the kitchen. "Thanks, Gajeel," she called back with a smile.

Ryos chuckled and shook his head at the still stunned expression on the older Slayer's face. "Lucy," he called out, "I think you broke Gajeel."

Lucy's laughter rang out through the apartment, snapping Gajeel out of his stupor to glare at the wall between himself and Lucy in the kitchen.

"Don't glare at me, asshole," Lucy said through her laughter.

"How the fuck…" Gajeel whispered.

"You glare at everything!" Lucy shouted.

"How the fuck did you hear me?" Gajeel asked with wide eyes.

"I'm a Slayer just like you guys, remember?" Lucy teased, peeking out of the doorway to wink at Gajeel. "Now get to work."

Gajeel rolled his eyes and chuckled softly, then turned to look at Ryos to see him silently laughing right along with them. "Alright, brat. How did he explain it to you?"

* * *

Gajeel didn't have much luck figuring out how to help Ryos when it came to eating shadows before dinner was ready, but the meal itself seemed to move by in a flash. Between the insults Gajeel and Lucy threw back and forth, the trio's near constant jokes, and how hard everyone was laughing by the end of it all it was a wonder why they didn't do things like this more often. Once the table was cleared and the dishes were clean, Lucy glanced at her bed and realized that she really should change her sheets since she and Gajeel had been all kinds of naked on them two nights before. "Ryos," she said while throwing the bedspread on the floor, "Did you decide whether or not you'll accept my offer?"

Ryos grinned and nodded, looking from Gajeel to see his short nod over to Lucy. "Yeah," he said, "I'd like to stay."

"Well, that means you'll need to get your stuff from the guild and bring it over here," Lucy said with a sweet smile. "We'll get you all settled in."

"I don't have much," Ryos said sheepishly while he scratched the back of his head. "Just whatever I can carry in a bag."

"Don't worry about that," Gajeel interjected. "It's understandable since you've been squatting for a whole year."

"Gajeel, would you be willing to take him down there?" Lucy asked. "I've gotta change the sheets and do laundry."

Gajeel rolled his eyes and gave Lucy a pointed look. "Why do—"

"Gajeel," Lucy said sweetly, picking up the sheets from the floor and shoving them in his face. "Tell me, do these smell like sex to you?"

Ryos blushed and lowered his head with wide eyes when he heard Gajeel's annoyed growl turn into a groan.

"Shit, Bunny," Gajeel whispered, taking another deep inhale. "You're all over these…"

"So are you, shitstack," Lucy retorted with a blush of her own. "I've only got one bed, and I am  _not_ having Ryos smelling that while he's trying to sleep. His nose picks up enough without being all wrapped up in it, too."

"Hey," Gajeel said absently, "You should just let me take these off your hands…"

"That is beyond fucking creepy, Gajeel," Lucy said.

"You smell amazing, how is it creepy?"

"Because you're smelling my sheets," Lucy answered in exasperation.

"Gajeel has a point," Ryos said. "You do smell really good. I can understand why he'd want to keep something that smells like you."

"See? The brat gets it," Gajeel said with a smirk.

"Would  _you_  want to keep my sheets, Ryos?" Lucy asked.

Ryos shook his head quickly. "Not  _yours_ ," he said, "But if I found someone that loved me like you love Gajeel, then I'd want to have her scent around me all the time. I just think you smell nice…"

Lucy blushed again and looked back and forth between the two Slayers, finally landing on Gajeel. With narrowed eyes and a slight sideways tilt to her head, Lucy asked, "You want to take them with you… back to your place?"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her and nodded.

"So you can have my scent there too?"

Gajeel grinned and nodded again.  _I don't think she's realized that she's the one holding this up to my nose._

"… Why?" Lucy asked cautiously.

"You know exactly why I love how you smell, Bunny," Gajeel answered, nuzzling the decadent scent in the sheets and loving just how much they smelled like his little blonde.

"But this smells like  _both_  of us, Gajeel," Lucy said.

"All the more reason to have it," Gajeel said with a wink. "I like it, and I wanna keep it."

Lucy smirked at Gajeel and said, "Ask nicely."

"I'm not a dog."

"I didn't say 'beg'," Lucy reasoned, "I said to ask me nicely for it."

"Why?" Gajeel asked, taking another deep breath.

"Because if you do, then I'll give you these sheets to add to your hoard," Lucy answered with a light giggle.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and grinned again while he asked, "Can I  _please_  keep these sheets, Bunny?"

"Why, yes you may, Gajeel!" Lucy said dramatically, finally pulling the sheets away from his face and squeaking when she was pulled into his lap.

"Damn pain in my ass, you know that?" Gajeel growled playfully.

Lucy nodded with a grin and melted into Gajeel's embrace once his lips covered hers. Her hands slid up his chest, feeling each and every bulging muscle tensing slightly as her fingers brushed over them, and no matter how hard she tried to suppress it, a small light moan left her once Gajeel's tongue plunged between her parted lips. Far too soon for her liking, Gajeel eased back and gave her a smug grin while Lucy tried to push past the lusty haze he had dragged her into so she could function.

"So, you had to change the sheets?" Gajeel asked, chuckling when Lucy nodded and nibbled her lower lip. "And I'm taking the brat to the guild?"

Lucy froze, then covered her face with her hands to hide the bright red flush on her cheeks. "Goddamnit, Gajeel!" came her muffled shout. "Ryos, I'm  _so_  sorry!"

Gajeel cracked up laughing and nuzzled her hair. "He's fine, Bunny."

"Lucy," Ryos said calmly, "It's alright. I think I can handle you two kissing in front of me."

Lucy peeked from between her fingers to see a small smile on Ryos' face, but no hint of embarrassment. With a sigh, she dropped her hands to her lap and sheepishly said, "Sorry… I'm just not used to being able to do anything with him around anyone… We have to keep it a secret so…"

Gajeel frowned and nodded. "Trust me, I hate it as much as you do," he said softly. "I'd much rather be able to do whatever the hell we want."

"Well, you two are really strong," Ryos reasoned, "Why can't you just be open about it?"

"Someone could exploit it," Lucy answered.

"They could use Bunny to get to me, or vice versa," Gajeel added.

"But, no one would be dumb enough to mess with either of you," Ryos said. "And with everything that's going on—"

Gajeel quickly shook his head, making sure Lucy couldn't see him. He really didn't want the kid to be the one that dropped the bomb on her that her dad was trying to steal her away.

"What?" Lucy asked, furrowing her brow and looking at them questioningly.

"Nothing," Ryos said a little too quickly. One look from Lucy had him sighing in defeat, but he stayed silent otherwise.

"Bunny," Gajeel said softly, "It's about what I said earlier…"

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked.

Gajeel sighed and decided maybe he should just get it all out there and then deal with her reaction afterwards. "Just hear me out, okay?" he asked cautiously.

Lucy frowned, but nodded.

"It's about your dad," Gajeel said, tightening his grip on her when she went completely rigid. "Those Fairies that followed us know who you are, and they think we kidnapped you. Your old man told the papers you disappeared a month ago and he's planning on hiring a guild to find you."

"No…" Lucy whispered, her whole body beginning to quake in fear. "I-I won't… I won't go back…"

"Shh," Gajeel whispered, "I know. Just listen, okay?" In all the time he'd known Lucy, she had never been afraid of anything with the exception of her nightmare. This was the first time that he was actually seeing what fear looked like on her from more than her own imagination, and it tore him to pieces. He never wanted to see her like this again, and the fact that it all stemmed from the mention of being taken away by her father had Gajeel's inner dragon roaring in pure rage.  _He won't,_  Gajeel thought,  _I'll never let him near her._  "Master called while you were busy, and said I've gotta meet him in the morning for my mission briefing. That means he's sending me out tomorrow to deal with them. Master wants someone with you until this is handled, and he thinks the Fairies will be sending someone to find you—that's why I said I was on Bunny detail. He wants to make sure you're safe."

"I-I… I don't want you to go," Lucy choked out, her throat constricting almost painfully. It had taken tons of courage for her to finally run away, and the entire time she had been away from her father's estate Lucy had been worried that he would find her and force her into a marriage. With Gajeel away on a mission, and Fairy Tail knowing exactly where she was, it was only a matter of time before they came for her. If Gajeel wasn't back in time, she would have to fight them off and run. After finally finding some sense of happiness in her new life, with both Gajeel and Ryos, Lucy didn't want to leave everything behind. "What if they come while you're not here?"

"Master said we'll figure it out," Gajeel said, rubbing slow circles on her back. "I said I'd protect you, Bunny. That asshole isn't taking my Bunny away from me, and he definitely  _won't_  get to sell you to the highest bidder like some fucking..." Gajeel's words were halted by a low, threatening growl; his anger mounted higher and higher with just the thought of Lucy being used to make her dad a quick buck. "You're staying right fucking here," Gajeel continued after a few deep breaths, his voice still lower and filled with his rage, "I just fucking found you, I'm not going to lose you. I'll get the mission done as fast as possible so I can get back here, but I won't know more until tomorrow after I meet with Master. He said to stay away from the guild because they'll look for you there first."

"Lucy," Ryos said worriedly when he saw tears streaming down her face. "I know I can't do much, but… I'll keep you safe while Gajeel's on his mission. I don't want you to get taken away."

Lucy gave Ryos a watery smile and a nod, then leaned into Gajeel's chest and let his metal-and-cinnamon scent fill her every shaking, sob-filled breath. She clutched tightly to his shirt, feeling his arms wrap protectively around her while he nuzzled her hair. "Promise you'll be safe," she whispered. "Promise you'll come back."

"I'll always come back to my Bunny," Gajeel whispered back. "Can't promise I'll be safe, but I  _will_  come back."

Lucy sniffled and laughed, then said, "Yeah… Black Steel and 'safe' really don't belong in the same sentence, huh?"

"Got that right," Gajeel said with a wicked grin. "Tell you what though… Those fucking Fairies are gonna pay for even  _thinking_  about taking you. After this shit's settled with them, I'll be paying your old man a visit."

Lucy sighed and shook her head. "There's no need—"

"There damn well is," Gajeel growled. "I already told you. He's trying to take you away, and now he gets to see just what your Dragon can do. It's your choice, not his…"

Ryos, even with how frightened Lucy had become to cause her to cry, couldn't help but smile at the two older mages. Gajeel seemed to have no issue whatsoever laying claim to Lucy as his, and even going as far as saying that he was hers as well. It was one of the first signs of a mated pair, but Ryos knew that it just wasn't the case with them. Lucy and Gajeel honestly acted as though they were already mated, with each drawing strength or support from the other, and the possessive nature that Gajeel showed only seemed to add to that. One look at Lucy had Ryos confused: she seemed to relax every time he said something possessive like that, almost as if hearing that they were part of each other calmed the raging torrent of emotions inside of her.  _If she reacts that way to what he says, then why doesn't he realize that she'll accept being his mate?_ , Ryos wondered. "What's her choice?" he finally asked.

"I told you that my dad was trying to make me miserable for the rest of my life," Lucy said, turning her head and laying it over Gajeel's heart to hear the steady rhythm that seemed to soothe her. "He's trying to marry me off to someone."

"Why?"

"To make more money," Lucy whispered sadly.

"He doesn't give a shit about her, brat," Gajeel continued, giving Lucy a light squeeze, "He just wants some rich bastard to buy the right to marry her, then once it's all said and done he'll take her keys, and Bunny will be a fucking baby factory for whoever pays the most." When Ryos' face hardened, a low growl rumbling from the boy, Gajeel nodded and closed his eyes while he tried to comfort Lucy.

"But…" Ryos said with a frown, looking over at the weeping blonde, "You wouldn't want to be with whoever it is… Why would you have his children?"

"She would have to," Gajeel answered with a sneer. "It's what's expected of her if it happens. So not only is the bastard selling his daughter off like a fucking whore, he's selling her to get raped by some guy with Jewels pouring out of his damn pockets. All to make a quick fucking buck."

Ryos felt his instincts roaring to life inside of him, the desire to protect Lucy flaring in his veins and seeping through his body until he was growling in tandem with his inner dragon. Even the short lesson Gajeel had given him earlier seemed to have helped in making him more in tune with his instincts, and Ryos was suddenly very thankful for it. Lucy was his friend, and he refused to let someone try and take advantage of her in such a vile way. At times, it almost felt like she was more than just a friend to him, like she was the sister or mother he never knew. His human side told him that they had only really started talking a few days ago, that he couldn't possibly see her as someone so close to his heart in such a short amount of time. The image of Skiadrum popped into his mind with a grin, nodding emphatically and giving him the sense that she could really be his family if he allowed her.  _Dragons protect their family,_ Ryos thought and saw Skiadrum's grin widen and a resoundingly approving growl sound through him.

"No," Lucy whispered, her fear disappearing altogether once Gajeel's words rang through her apartment and instantly being replaced with anger. "I'm not letting him scare me anymore…" She had spent her whole life either afraid, sad, or lonely because of the man that called himself her father when it suited him. Hearing Gajeel put her situation that way—that she was being sold like a common streetwalker and would essentially be stripped of her choice in who bedded her—made Lucy's blood boil. The anger inside of her swelled until she felt as though she would burst, and some deep part of her subconscious whispered that if her father ever came to his senses… She would forgive him. Lucy hated the idea of forgiving the man that had ignored her for so long, but he was still her father and she knew that she wouldn't be able to hold a grudge against him if he was truly remorseful.

"Bunny?" Gajeel asked slowly when Lucy uncurled herself from his lap with ghostly white knuckles and tightly clenched fists. He watched her carefully when the stomach-churning scent from her fear dissipated until his nostrils were nearly burning from the fiery rage that coursed through her. Her body was tense, but not from trying to keep anything hidden. The tension in Lucy seemed to screech that there would be hell to pay for whoever stood in her path. He had only seen her angry like this once, except it hadn't been nearly as intense then, and that was when he'd gone and bad-mouthed her mother in the rain. There was a barely concealed fury inside of her, nearly lighting up her skin while it coursed through her veins, travelled through her sinewy muscles, settled deep into her marrow.

Lucy turned her hardened gaze to Gajeel, hardly registering the wary way he eyed her, and said, "You know what happened the last time someone tried that shit with me, Gajeel." The men in the mountains would feel lucky if they could see what she did to the next person that tried to strip her of the choices she made. Her father not only wanted to take her freedom, her deep and passionate love for Gajeel, her sweet Ryos. He wanted to take her magic from her, to strip her bare of everything that identified her as a person until she was just some doll for a rich bastard to play with when he felt the desire to do so. "If I do end up back there, I'll fucking kill him myself. You're right,  _no one_  is taking my choice away. The next person who tries will hardly have time to suck in enough air to scream out their agony while I tear them to pieces." When Gajeel grinned, wide and filled with malicious intent, she wiped the tears from her face, the sadistic smile that spread across it mirroring his, and added, "Make sure you show those Fairies just what my Dragon can do."

"That's what I was planning on doing," Gajeel said.

"No, Gajeel," Lucy said firmly, "I want them to suffer. Show them what happens when you piss off a dragon. If it was my mission, there wouldn't be any survivors… but I don't think Master wants you killing anyone this time around."

Gajeel stood up and wrapped his arms around Lucy, pulling her close to his chest. He sighed when her arms instantly molded around him, and said, "Trust me, they'll suffer plenty. No one threatens my crazy little Bunny and gets away with it."

Ryos looked at Gajeel and Lucy, unsure of what he should do. When the blonde pulled back and looked at him, then extended her arm and beckoned him closer, Ryos didn't even try to argue with it. He quickly stood up and walked over to her, and his eyes went wide when Gajeel's arm moved and wrapped around his shoulders while Lucy's wrapped around his waist, the pair pulling him closer to them in a comforting embrace. Ryos carefully laid his head on Lucy's shoulder and let the odd combination of her and Gajeel's scents fill every bit of him—creating a calm deep within that he hadn't felt in a long time. He had no clue how long the three of them stood there—each of the Slayer's holding onto Lucy in a silent promise to protect her, Lucy holding them both and letting her love for them wash over the room, and even Gajeel's simple embrace with Ryos that let the boy know that he'd been accepted in some fashion by the older mage—but after a long while, they all pulled back with small smiles on their faces as the tension in each of them faded into nothingness.

* * *

After going to the guild to grab the boy's meager belongings, Gajeel and Ryos had come back to find Lucy taking a relaxing bath with a small radio playing old swing music from the X740s. Gajeel was surprised by her music choice, but he already knew that she liked pretty much everything she came across. When the trumpets started playing an octave too high for him and Ryos to comfortably sit inside, Gajeel went into the bathroom and told her that they'd be on the roof doing some more work on Ryos' magic in the hopes of figuring out how he could eat on his own. The sweet smile she gave him had stolen his breath away, the adoration and gratitude swimming in those chocolate doe eyes all but stealing every shred of his sanity and locking it in a box that left him floored in more ways than one. Gajeel's heart had hammered painfully hard in his chest while he knelt down on the floor and gave in to her silent plea. Gently cupping Lucy's neck, with a soft smile playing across his lips, Gajeel slowly closed the distance between them and allowed her sweet plump lips to glide softly against his in a tender caress; just his lips and hers, no sense of rushing to lead into more physical intimacy. In that moment, it was just the two of them and he couldn't have been happier. Once Gajeel found a way to break the connection between them, ending the kiss even though he wanted her in his arms, he grinned and stood up to walk out of the bathroom.

The pair of Slayers carefully made their way onto the fire escape just outside of Lucy's single window in her apartment, then climbed up to the roof. Gajeel and Ryos sat on the roof of Lucy's apartment building, cross-legged and facing one another. "Alright, brat," Gajeel said with a deep breath, "We're surrounded by shadows now. You said your dragon told you to feel your magic gathering in your throat like you're going to roar, then to suck in the shadows around you."

"Right," Ryos answered, following Gajeel's lead and taking a deep breath as well. "But I can't seem to get it right. He said there was another way to do it, but I had to learn this way first."

"That's what we'll figure out before I leave on that mission. If you're going to keep an eye on Bunny Girl while I'm gone, then I need to know your magic is starting to get back to normal," Gajeel said. "First step is eating right, then we can work on everything else. Your magic is the priority, since honing the skills you need to maintain it will make everything else easier."

Ryos nodded. "What do I do first?"

"Turn to the side and act like you're going to roar," Gajeel said, "Point it up towards the sky so you don't damage anything if it slips out; don't beat yourself up if it happens. I want you to focus on how it feels. I'll walk you through it."

Ryos nodded again and turned to his side, facing towards the far end of the apartment building. He closed his eyes and started to focus his magic on his mouth just as Skiadrum taught him to do, tilting his head back in the process so that, if the attack was released, it would drift off into the sky above them.

Gajeel studied Ryos for a moment, then said, "Feel your magic welling up inside of you, traveling from the very center of your being. Search for the essence of your magic, your shadows. Let them grab onto you so you can pull them free."

Ryos furrowed his eyebrows in concentration, trying to follow Gajeel's instructions. He reached deep inside of himself, pushing past where he would normally go for his magic and delving further into himself to find the inky darkness that was the essence of his magic. The black, cloying shadows slowly rose in gentle tendrils, wisping lazily about and latching onto the invisible hand he'd used to reach for them.

"Good," Gajeel said softly, "Pull them up and let the shadows settle in the back of your throat, not in your mouth. Focus on how it feels while they travel through you, the power that radiates from your element."

Ryos pulled and found that only the smallest tug was needed to tell those inner shadows what he wanted. A chill swept through his body while the sooty blackness rose inside of himself like smoke from a chimney, and Ryos resisted the urge to shiver. He kept his mouth clamped shut while they gathered in his throat, felt a few small tendrils wriggling up through his nasal cavity and leaking from his nostrils while he waited for Gajeel's instructions.

"Don't forget to breathe," Gajeel added when he saw a few small wisps leaking from the boy's nose, looking for all he was worth like a real dragon right then.

Ryos slowly inhaled, realizing that his lungs had been screaming for the oxygen, and felt the shadows settle back down from his nose and into his throat again. They swirled lazily, creating a black orb that he could clearly picture in his mind. The power from those shadows slowly increased the longer he held them there, and he honed in on just what it felt like. It was truly indescribable, and now Ryos understood why Skiadrum had a hard time teaching the young boy about his magic. They were intangible, but still felt as if they were chilled hands and fingers that lightly stroked over everything they touched.

"Alright, keep it there and feel the shadows around you. Find the similarities between them and your own shadows."

Ryos opened his senses and tensed when he refused to open his mouth on a gasp, instead inhaling sharply through his nose. Once he had his magic swelling in him, the surrounding shadows seemed to be begging for his attention, practically clawing their way into him. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel where each shadow ended and began as the light of the half-moon above them shone down to create odd little shapes from the surrounding structures on the roof. The shadows begged him to let them in, to feed him what his body so desperately needed. At first, he was apprehensive when he thought he heard them speaking to him, but the longer he let the new sensations settle in, the more he realized that it wasn't the same disconnected and echoing voice filled with malice from the shadows he was supposed to ignore; what Ryos was hearing was his own body's plea for the nourishment he hadn't been able to give it.

"Here's where it's gonna get tricky," Gajeel said, his rumbling voice softer than normal, "Open your mouth slowly, and keep your magic in your throat."

Ryos' lips parted just slightly, his tongue darting out to wet them and his mouth actually watering at the thought of being able to finally do what he'd struggled with for years. A single tendril of his own shadows snaked out over his tongue as he let his jaw drop open, gliding lazily past his lips to test his surroundings. A second and third followed shortly after, and Ryos focused in again on keeping the ball of magic in his throat so it didn't shoot off an attack when he didn't want it to.

"Draw the shadows you felt into yourself," Gajeel said, furrowing his brow and hoping he was getting this right. It was frustrating to try and figure out how Ryos was supposed to eat his element when Gajeel had never struggled with it himself; then again, Gajeel had to only find a piece of metal and he was set. "Let your magic act like a beacon for them to follow. When you feel a connection between your shadows and the ones around you, pull your magic back down your throat and into you."

Ryos took another deep breath, letting the tendrils that had escaped his mouth search his surroundings again and again. They lengthened and felt along the ground, and when each of the three found a separate large shadow, Ryos' magic hummed in approval. It vibrated in his throat, the swirling seeming to speed up in anticipation of what was to come. The tendrils wrapped around the darkness outside of his body, and Ryos started to focus on pulling them back towards his mouth. He clenched his eyes tightly when his jaw involuntarily widened, a small popping noise sounding when the bone shifted to accommodate the amount of shadows he was taking in. His lips burned as they flew past, the tendrils snapping violently back into the magic in his throat and dragging his nourishment along with them. The force knocked him backwards, a loud thud sounding once his back met the concrete of the roof, and he gasped while his eyes shot open. It wasn't even a conscious thought to pull his magic back down into himself, it just happened on its own. Another chill washed over Ryos when he felt the new shadows settling into his body, filling in gaps that he hadn't known existed. He felt fuller than ever before in his life, and somehow ravenous. Like finding an oasis in the desert, Ryos' magic wellspring thrived under the nourishment he'd consciously provided, and the boy's mouth opened on a silent scream while more shadows jumped from all around him and down his throat. It was much more subdued than this when his body forced the shadows in from him not eating them, and Ryos couldn't understand what was happening. When his body pulled the shadows into him before, when it was happening so he could survive, only a few would be sucked in to leave him feeling less sickly and much more rejuvenated. This time, it seemed as though his body was trying to pull in the shadows from all of Oak Town.

Gajeel's eyes widened while he watched Ryos' back arch painfully off the ground as more and more of his element forced its way into his frail body. "Shit," he muttered, rushing over and seeing only the whites of Ryos' eyes as they rolled back in his head. "Cut it off, brat," Gajeel said firmly.

No response. More shadows filled him in a violent surge, causing his body to tremble under the onslaught.

"Brat, cut off your magic," Gajeel growled.

Nothing. A keening cry could just barely be heard on the wind, whistling past Gajeel and barreling towards the boy on the ground. Ryos' slight quivering suddenly became a full-body spasm, his limbs somehow tensing painfully and thrashing wildly around while he tried to stop what was happening. He'd lost control, felt himself being filled to the brim with the shadows he had so desperately needed before, and yet he craved more of them. Ryos was torn between actively trying to bring more of his element into himself to feed the feral hunger deep within and fighting to stave the swell of magic so he could breathe. His mind whirled with its indecision, stuck in limbo and teetering from one choice to the other, and he didn't know if he would be able to stop it.

"Ryos, fucking control your shit!" Gajeel yelled, roughly clamping his calloused hand over Ryos' mouth while the other shot up to close his jaw. Once the shadows stopped flying towards the boy, his sweat-slicked body collapsed to the rooftop beneath them, still shaking and twitching every few seconds. Gajeel made just enough room with his hand for the boy to breathe through his nose and sighed in relief when he finally saw those familiar red slitted eyes looking up at him. "Fucking hell," he grumbled, sitting back and unceremoniously plopping himself on the ground.

Ryos was panting heavily, trying to give his lungs all of the oxygen they had been deprived of, and his whole body felt sore. The tension had mounted until he felt like he would snap, and now each and every muscle was groaning its disapproval while he rolled onto his side to try and pull himself into a sitting position.

Gajeel frowned when Ryos' shaking hands pushed on the rooftop to bring himself upright, seeing the way his body protested even the slightest movement. "Just relax," Gajeel said when several attempts left the boy panting harder and falling back down. "Can you talk?"

Ryos' brows furrowed while he tried to speak, finding his throat was incredibly raw and he couldn't seem to push more than air in and out of his body. He slowly shook his head, then regretted it when it started pounding furiously. His eyes clenched, his eyebrows drawing downward, and a hand shot to his forehead in a sad attempt at quelling the pain.

"Damn," Gajeel whispered with a frown. "I'm gonna take you inside. We'll see if Bunny knows how to help, okay?"

Not willing to risk moving his head again, Ryos gave Gajeel a small thumbs up to let the older Slayer know he agreed with the plan. He hardly registered being hoisted into the muscular arms of the Iron Slayer, only faintly noticed the soft breeze that brushed past them while Gajeel carefully descended the fire escape and managed to crawl back through Lucy's window. The sweet scent that he instantly recognized as Lucy filled his nostrils, and he was suddenly thankful that the music she'd been listening to was turned down to a much more manageable volume.

"Bunny," Gajeel called out, hearing Lucy in the bathroom pulling on her clothes for the night. "Got a problem out here."

Lucy frowned and pulled the door open once she was dressed, then her eyes went wide when she saw Ryos in Gajeel's arms. "Shit, what happened?" she asked worriedly, rushing over to the pair as Gajeel laid Ryos down on her bed. "Ryos, are you okay?"

"Took in too much of his element at once," Gajeel said, running a hand over his face.

"I didn't realize that could even happen."

"I didn't either," Gajeel admitted, "But based on what fucking happened up there, that's the only explanation I can come up with."

Lucy nodded and sat down next to the boy, brushing his hair from his face and gently cupping his cheek. "Can you tell me what happened?" Lucy asked Ryos softly.

When Ryos frowned, his eyes closed and his breathing still shaky, Gajeel sighed. "Everything seemed to be fine up until he tried to pull the shadows he'd gotten back into himself," he said, sitting down in a chair at the table and watching Ryos and Lucy. "He lost control of his magic, and it just kept pulling more and more into him. Knocked him back pretty hard. I had to close his mouth for him just to get it to stop. He couldn't talk afterwards, and I'm pretty sure he's in some serious pain right now from how he was thrashing around before."

Lucy nodded, running her thumb over Ryos' cheek. She took in the sweat that glistened on his face and in his hair, how there seemed to be more color in his cheeks than she'd ever seen before, and noticed how his eyebrows were drawn together. Lucy gently held one of his hands, then said, "Okay, squeeze once for yes, and twice for no. I need to find out what's wrong so I can help you."

One squeeze.

Lucy smiled, then turned to Gajeel. "Can you make some tea?"

"Sure, Bunny," Gajeel said with a nod, pausing to kiss the top of her head before making his way to the kitchen.

"Does your throat hurt?" One squeeze. "That's why you can't talk right now?" Another squeeze. "And your head hurts?" A squeeze. "Do you feel sick at all?"

Ryos paused and tried to figure out if he actually felt sick. He almost always felt a little queasy, but that was more from not eating than anything else. There was still an ache in his stomach, one that begged for him to eat something, but he wasn't nauseous. He squeezed Lucy's hand twice.

"Did Gajeel help you figure out how to eat?" she asked.

He squeeze once, but grimaced when he thought of what happened.

Lucy giggled softly. "I understand. You'll get there. Are you feeling better than before though? As far as your magic?"

One more squeeze.

"Good. We're gonna get you in the bath and cleaned up, then you can have some tea for your throat. Sound good?"

One squeeze.

"Bunny, if you think I'm gonna let you strip him down and put him in the bathtub, you're fucking high," Gajeel called out. "I'll be there in a second."

Lucy rolled her eyes with a smile. "Yes,  _dear,_ " she teased, laughing when a low growl sounded from the kitchen. "Are you willing to bathe him?" Two squeezes on her hand had Lucy turning to look back at Ryos. "What's wrong?"

"I…m… fi-ine…" Ryos rasped.

"Ryos," Lucy said softly, "It's perfectly fine to accept help when you need it. Whether you do it yourself or one of us helps you, I'm not letting you in there alone just in case."

"She's got a point, brat," Gajeel said as he walked out of the kitchen and picked up the boy. "I've got him, Bunny Girl."

Lucy nodded and grabbed Ryos' clothing from his bag, settling it on the counter in her bathroom before closing the two Slayers inside and walking back to the kitchen. Around twenty minutes later, the tea was already on the table and waiting for them when Gajeel slowly walked Ryos out of the bathroom. Lucy watched as Ryos was led to the same chair he'd been in during dinner, and she set a teacup in front of him. "It's got honey in it and a little lemon. It'll help make your throat feel better."

Ryos nodded and picked up the cup, holding it just under his nose and letting the steam rise up and clear away a little of the headache he was still sporting. After a few sips, he already felt better. The ache in his stomach was actually diminishing as the warm, soothing liquid filled him up, and the honey coated his raw throat perfectly.

Once the trio finished with their tea, and the used dishes were washed, Lucy led Ryos to the bed. She carefully tucked him in, smiling softly when he looked up at her sleepily. "Get some rest, okay? We'll see how you feel in the morning. Gajeel and I will be up on the roof for a bit."

"Thanks, Lucy," Ryos whispered, smiling when she giggled and kissed his forehead. The room was instantly bathed in darkness, with only a small light on Lucy's desk to break up the utter blackness that would have consumed the apartment.

Gajeel smirked and grabbed the two throw blankets from Lucy once they were on the fire escape, then led her up to the roof. He laid one blanket out and settled himself on top of it, smirking when Lucy laid down and nestled closer to him, then set the other off to the side in case she got too cold later on.

"You know, you've been a sweetheart today," Lucy said softly while they looked up at the stars.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Gajeel answered, wrapping his arm around her.

"Sure you do," Lucy whispered, resting her chin on Gajeel's chest with a smile. "Ever since we left the guild today, you've been nice. Even to Ryos."

"Yeah, well… Keep that shit to yourself," Gajeel mumbled, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

Lucy giggled and shook her head. "You're ridiculous, you know," she whispered as she turned back to looking at the sky.

"You love it."

"Damn right I do," Lucy said happily. "Just like you love me being a psycho."

Gajeel laughed and said, "So you finally admit that you're a psycho?"

"Yep."

"Then, yeah. I love it, Bunny." Gajeel sighed and looked at the sky above them, smiling when he was actually able to identify some of the constellations he saw by name.

"Are you ready for this mission, Gajeel?" Lucy asked after several silent minutes.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Bunny," Gajeel answered. "I've got those blueprints memorized, just like Master wants. And now I've got even more of a reason to handle those fucking Fairies. All I need are the actual orders, and I'm set."

"How long will it take?"

Gajeel rolled onto his side, wrapping his other arm around her waist and sighing when he felt her hands lightly trailing over his abs. "If it's just destroying the building, I'll have it done in no time. It depends on what Master wants me to do."

"You'd better use tactics, Black Steel," Lucy whispered with a frown as she snuggled closer to him. "I know you're strong as hell, definitely stronger than anyone they can throw at you, but you've gotta be smart about it too."

"Nothing to worry about," Gajeel whispered back. "I promised I'd come back, so I'll be doing whatever's necessary to keep that promise." When Lucy shivered against him, Gajeel chuckled and kissed the top of her head before sitting up. "Come on. Let's get some shut eye. I've got that meeting in the morning."

Lucy smiled and nodded, taking Gajeel's hand when he offered it to her, and being pulled roughly into his chest. She melted into him when his arms wound around her, with one across her lower back and the other across her shoulders and his hand tangling in her hair. His mouth ghosted over hers, causing Lucy's tongue to involuntarily flick out across her lips and nibble lightly on her lower lip while she looked into Gajeel's eyes. Placing her hands on his stomach, Lucy slowly walked him backwards until he was leaning against a half-wall that surrounded an industrial air conditioning unit for the building.

Gajeel watched a slow, seductive smile spread across Lucy's face just before her lips brushed across his chin and jaw to suck lightly on his earlobe. His grip on her hair tightened briefly, the hand splayed across her lower back sliding down under the band of her pants to gently massage one perfectly rounded cheek. He took a shaky breath as her hands moved to the hem of his shirt, carefully sliding it up his torso. Once Lucy pulled back just enough, Gajeel quickly dragged his shirt off and dropped it, instantly bringing his hands back to Lucy's luscious body.

Lucy kissed and nipped her way down onto Gajeel's chest, letting her hands roam freely over each perfectly cut muscle. Moving off to one side, Lucy slowly circled her tongue around his nipple, grinning when he gasped and shuddered at her attention there. One hand started to silently work on the buckle of his belt, then the fastenings on his pants. Her lips glided over to his other nipple, and she lightly sucked on it while her hand caressed his hardening member through his boxers.

"Oh, Bunny," Gajeel moaned softly, his hands slowly rubbing over every inch of her that he could reach while his eyes slid closed and his head fell backwards. He absolutely loved it when Lucy was the one to initiate anything between them, and the way she could so easily stoke the ever-present embers of his desire for her into a raging inferno was absolutely captivating. She teased him into a state of arousal, taking her time in every action to prolong the contact between them. She was still able to surprise him when both of her hands teased the piercings on his hips, slowly pushing his clothes further down his legs until they fell off of him while she left a series of wonderfully dark marks along his stomach. Gajeel hissed when the cool night air breezed over his proud member once it was freed, but all of the air in his lungs left him on a groan when her slender fingers closed over him.

Keeping one hand on Gajeel's hip to circle his piercings, Lucy slowly stroked along his length, fully enjoying the feel of each piece of metal that her fingers brushed over, and how starkly they contrasted with the smooth and silky flesh of his shaft. She carefully knelt down and ran her tongue from his base to tip again and again, making sure every inch of Gajeel's arousal was coated so her hand could move more easily over it. Lucy's eyes locked onto his and a devious grin spread across her face while she lowered her head even further and carefully sucked the tender flesh of his sac into her mouth. Another long moan fell from his lips while she circled her tongue over him, and she moaned in response only to hear a slew of curses and feel his legs beginning to quiver.

Gajeel couldn't believe it. There was just no way for him to wrap his mind around the fact that Lucy could have him so wound up without putting her sweet plump lips on his cock even once. He swore there was some hidden magic that she was using every time she went down on him, because there was just no other way for the woman to be that damn good. He wanted to tangle his hands in her hair and force his throbbing manhood into that sweet mouth of hers, but they were too busy gripping the half-wall behind him just to keep himself steady. His knees buckled once when she breathed hotly over the now thoroughly moistened flesh on his balls as her teeth lightly grazed them, her hands still slowly pumping away at his cock and teasing the piercings in his hip, but he managed to steady himself just in the nick of time. Lucy was a fucking goddess in his eyes, there were no two ways about it. How else could she possibly manage to bring him such an insane amount of pleasure from doing so much at once? Gajeel didn't even try to suppress his moans, how harshly his breath was coming already, or just how badly he wanted her when her eyes finally locked onto his. "Bunny," he panted, "Don't fucking tease me."

"I'm not teasing you," Lucy whispered, her lips brushing over his shaft. She took him into her mouth, pushing every inch of his throbbing shaft down and into her throat briefly before she pulled away to kiss the piercings on the opposite hip. Her thumb brushed over the small slit to catch a large droplet of precum and spread it down over him, and Lucy felt completely empowered by just how much she was able to affect him. "Tell me what you want," she rasped before sucking the skin just next to his piercings into her mouth.

"Fuck," Gajeel groaned, rocking his hips and grunting when her hand tightened around him.

"What can I do for you, Gajeel?" Lucy purred, her lust-filled gaze trailing up his body and taking in each and every delectable detail before landing on his face. His blood red eyes seemed to glow in the darkness that surrounded them, making him seem wilder than she'd ever seen before. A thrill of excitement shot through her on a direct path to her core, causing heat to pool low in her belly and a soft moan to spill from her at just the thought of being ravished by this man.

A wickedly dangerous grin made an appearance on Gajeel's face when her arousal wafted up on the night air. "Give me that hot mouth, Bunny," he growled, grunting and finally dropping a hand to her head when her lips instantly closed over him. "Shit, Bunny… Just like that…" Gajeel's grip tightened slightly, and he pushed her head faster and faster. "God, you're so fucking good… O-Oh, shit!" Gajeel's eyes widened, the hand still holding himself up on the wall gripping so tightly that it finally crumbled, when Lucy pulled her bottom lip over her teeth and very intentionally grazed him from base to tip with her top teeth as she plunged even faster and harder.

Lucy felt Gajeel's body tensing in preparation for his release, and she slowed down with her hands gently massaging his thighs. She listened to his ragged breathing, felt his grip on her head lessening, and knew that he was perfectly fine with her stopping right there—since they both wanted his release shooting deep inside of her.

"You have no idea what you do to me," he panted while Lucy slowly stood up in front of him.

"The same thing you do to me, Black Steel," Lucy whispered seductively while her hands slid over his body. "Crazy, begging for more, and completely wild."

Gajeel grinned and brought Lucy closer, his hands instantly sliding down to rid her of her pants and panties while his mouth closed over hers. With her chest pressed tightly to his and one arm wrapped around her waist, Gajeel's free hand slid down and over her bared backside, dipping between her legs to tease her entrance with the tips of his fingers. She whimpered against his mouth and tried to spread her legs to grant him better access, but Gajeel chuckled and pushed her thighs together, giving his hand extremely limited mobility while his fingers continued flicking and flitting over her before pushing just a little closer to that tight, dripping passage that was begging to be filled. When her back arched, pushing her ass further out to give him better access, Gajeel's other hand slid down to press her hips against his as he pushed one finger inside of her.

Lucy moaned when she felt that single digit slowly invading her, the sensitivity of her core increased as even her outer lips were pressed tightly together. Once fully sheathed, Gajeel circled his finger in a slow, sensual dance that perfectly matched the pace of his tongue gliding against hers. The feeling of his rough, calloused hand sliding up and under her shirt while he set a torturously slow pace with that digit inside of her set her nerves firing off and a shiver running down her spine, clenching her sex and sending heat all through her body. Lucy knew that she would never get enough of Gajeel, and vaguely wondered just how it was possible for him to have this gentle side that was willing to move slowly and carefully ramp up her arousal. Her hands roved over his body, dipping between his muscles and then sliding up to gently cup his cheeks. "Gajeel," she moaned softly against his lips, her body beginning to tremble from her inability to move.

"Tell me what you want," Gajeel whispered, quickening his pace just a little while he kissed across her jaw. He was still painfully hard, and the way Lucy still tried to shift and wriggle to bring her release just a little faster, with her body brushing against his straining manhood, was driving him mad. "What can I give my Bunny?"

Lucy smiled, her eyes closing for a moment while she basked in the sensations that flooded her, then rubbed her cheek along his and whispered, "Just love me."

Gajeel grinned and withdrew his hand from her sex, then grabbed her hips and lifted Lucy up. Instead of her legs wrapping around his waist, he realized that Lucy's thighs were settled on the half-wall behind him, lazily draping over it while her core hovered over his cock. Using one hand to guide himself to her entrance, Gajeel slowly lowered her down onto him, groaning when he felt her walls already gripping every inch of him so tightly. He brought his lips to hers once he was fully sheathed, rocking his hips in time with each roll of hers. "Always," he whispered back.

Lucy couldn't tear her gaze away from Gajeel's while he gripped her ass and helped her move over him, only managing short strokes deep inside of her that still had her gasping out his name. She flexed her thighs to bring him a little closer each time, just that small bit deeper to brush over the spot only he'd been able to find inside of her that made Lucy's sex quiver. Her hands dropped to the hem of her shirt, cursing its existence when she realized it was causing her to miss out on Gajeel's skin sliding against her. She slowly slid it up and off, watching Gajeel unconsciously lick his lips when her breasts were completely bared before him.

Gajeel watched in awe of the blonde, her love for him sitting plainly on her face and radiating from deep within her. Never in his life had he imagined that something so perfect could happen to him, always having his feet kicked out from beneath him once he'd managed to right himself again. Lucy was the first woman to ever have shown him that there was more than just a rough in-and-out fuck, that there was more to life than what he'd thought he already had figured out. She was everything that he needed in this life and the next, and Gajeel felt a foreign thickness clogging his throat while he admired her in the pale moonlight that only made her seem to glow from within. She was radiant, beautiful, sexy as hell, and all his for as long as she would allow it. He knew then that he would only ever care as deeply as he did for Lucy, no one else would be able to touch his heart the way she had. "Lucy," he moaned when that familiar tingle started to slide down his spine, then lowered his head to her neck and lavished every bare inch of it with tender kisses and nips while he worked his way down her chest.

Lucy's breath caught in her throat when her name passed his lips. Only twice had he ever said her name, her real name and not the nickname she'd come to love. It was obvious to her how he was feeling about something when he spoke to her: 'Bunny Girl' was when he was distant, 'Bunny' when Gajeel was being much more endearing, and finally 'Lucy'… She'd all but begged him to say it the first time, but this time she had no clue what made Gajeel say it. Her back arched once his tongue started its searing path over her breast to circle her already pebbled nipple, and the sensation of his hot mouth closing around it, warming it from the chill in the air, had Lucy's head tipping back and her hands tangling in his hair. "Gajeel," she whispered back, her voice thick and husky, "I love you so much."

Gajeel's chest clenched at her heartfelt admission, and his lips hovered over her while he smirked and said, "I love you more." The quick tightening of Lucy's sex around him had his head shooting up and his mouth crashing to hers, moving with more urgency than before while her hips bucked. Answering with a deep growl, Gajeel pulled her almost completely off of his shaft before forcing her roughly back down onto him. No matter how often they tried to move slowly, eventually one or the other would end up starting the fast and rough pace they had grown so accustomed to. Gajeel loved the way he was able to appreciate each and every voluptuous curve of Lucy's body while he took his time with her, but there was only so much he could do before that beast inside of him wanted to be let out to play.

"Again," Lucy whimpered, trying her best to lift herself up. In one swift motion, Gajeel spun them around so she was propped precariously on the ledge he had been leaning on, the cool feeling of the concrete against her bare backside heating up the rest of her body. Her arms wrapped around his neck while Gajeel pulled back slowly before slamming himself into her warmth, causing her back to arch and a sharp cry to fall from her lips. Again and again, withdrawing slowly and ramming back in, Lucy's body trembled from each shot of ecstasy that pushed her higher and higher towards that glorious precipice. Each piercing in his shaft pushed against her walls in just the right way, slowly massaging them while he withdrew, and when Gajeel filled her again it nearly felt as if they were vibrating as they brushed past with how quickly he moved.

"Fuck," Gajeel groaned, moving just a little faster when he felt her slowly tightening around him. He knew there was no way he'd be able to keep up with the punishing pace he was ready to start on her in this position, so Gajeel settled himself deeply within her core and picked Lucy up to carry her over to the previously forgotten throw blanket. It wasn't that far from them, but each step he took had Lucy bouncing just enough to start fraying his control, and the sounds she made… Oh sweet god, those sounds were absolute torture. He carefully laid her on the blanket, rolling his hips and slanting his mouth over hers as her nails started digging into his shoulders.

As Gajeel began moving faster, jolting Lucy's body with each powerful snap of his hips, her back arched while she tried to match his pace. Her mouth tore away from his when she realized just how close she was to her release, her eyes staring into his with fire blazing in their depths. Forcing his head down and roughly sucking on the piercings in his ear, she was surprised when her next words came out sounding nearly as feral and wild as Gajeel did from time to time. "Harder," she growled, grinning when she could feel the shiver that ran through him, "Fuck me like the dragon I know you are."

Gajeel snarled wildly, his skin itching to shift into the scales she had wanted to feel before until he couldn't stop it from happening. He pulled his head up to give her a wicked grin, watching her eyes widen in shock once she saw him covered in metal before her expression darkened into one of pure lust. "Oh, I'll give you a fucking dragon," he growled, shuddering when her walls quivered around him. Abandoning any previous tenderness, even though neither of them knew whether it would be painful for her like this, Gajeel pistoned violently into her soaking depths, feeling himself ready to fill her to the brim and pump his hot liquid deep inside any minute.

Lucy moaned loudly, her eyes rolling back and her hands gliding effortlessly over the cool metal of Gajeel's arms and chest, once he started moving. There was no buffer for her to adjust to how different his now extremely hard member felt while he fucked her senseless, but she instantly noticed that the piercings on his shaft and hips were the only things that didn't change—something she was highly thankful for since all of Gajeel's other piercings became spikes of varying lengths that would definitely tear her to pieces. It was a lot like the iron toy he'd made for her, how brutal and unyielding his cock had become once it shifted into pure metal, and some small part of Lucy's mind wondered if he'd done it on purpose to see if she enjoyed it before actually doing this with her. "M-More!" she shouted breathlessly, gasping when his metallic teeth glinted in the moonlight while he grinned down at her again.

Gajeel's hands dropped to her hips, gripping them carefully enough so his claws didn't dig into her flesh and so he didn't accidentally crush her bones, and he angled himself slightly while forcing her down onto him. He was glad that he'd made that rod for her to use before, because now he knew just which spots would drive her absolutely insane as he brushed over them. He'd never realized that using his magic this way would actually make each thrust into her more pleasurable for him; her sex was coating his metal shaft in her arousal so that he glided more easily than ever before, and it took everything he had to hold off long enough for her to finish with him. Lucy wanted all of him, for him to lose control, to let his inner dragon  _really_ come out even in the form of his scales, and Gajeel knew that if he hadn't already fallen for her, then this would have been the moment he did. "Come on, Bunny…" he growled against her neck, his lips the only portion of his mouth he would allow to touch her like this, "Mmph… I wanna hear you scream." He wanted her just as wild and uninhibited as he was, the sound of his growls and moans getting louder and louder while he plunged between her slick folds.

And scream she did. Lucy couldn't care less that they were outside, on top of her apartment building, and that the whole neighborhood would be able to hear her. Her eyes were clenched as he exacted a punishing pace on her sex, driving harder and faster with each thrust, his hands digging into her hips and lifting them off of the blanket. He'd never filled her so fully before, pushing into her core until he was hitting the end of her. Lucy's legs trembled, but she used the little strength she possessed to pull them up and hook them over Gajeel's shoulders. She cried out even more when he was fully sheathed in her sex and started grinding her against him, rubbing her clit over and over against his pelvis while he discovered an earth-shattering sweet spot inside of her. She gasped for air between her cries and curses, the tension in her body mounting until she finally shattered, her eyes shooting open to lock onto Gajeel's and his name tearing from her throat so loudly that she was already feeling hoarse.

Gajeel roared out her name, her real name for the first time during his climax, and instantly shifted back from his scales when he thrust into her one final time. He carefully set her legs back down before nearly collapsing on top of her, holding onto Lucy's trembling body protectively and shuddering with each violent pulse of his shaft as she milked every drop of him into her spasming sex. He was panting heavily, fighting to catch his breath, but Gajeel lowered his head to her neck and peppered her with soft, reverent kisses while she clutched onto him for dear life and whimpered softly. When he shifted to get a little more comfortable, propping himself up just a little more so he knew she wasn't being crushed, the small jostle had her sensitized body quivering and another loud moan breaking through the sudden stillness of the night.

"Best… sex… ever," Lucy panted against Gajeel's shoulder, laughing lightly when she heard him chuckle.

"More than sex, little Bunny," Gajeel answered with a fully sated grin as he nuzzled her neck tenderly.

"Yeah?"

"Hell yeah. Now I see what all the fuss is over making love to someone," Gajeel said, playfully nibbling on her neck. "First time we've done it without biting. I don't think I left a single mark on you this time."

Lucy smiled and nibbled on Gajeel's shoulder in return, earning another chuckle from him. "If I was allowed to bite you tonight, I would have done it in a heartbeat."

"You would?" Gajeel asked softly, knowing full well that they couldn't allow themselves to do it. He wanted her to be his, and knew that if he bit her tonight then he wouldn't be able to stop his magic from marking her, but Lucy had to know what it meant before they took that final step.

"Definitely," Lucy whispered happily, turning her head slightly to look into his eyes. "I love biting you, and when you bite me. Not to mention seeing that side of you, and hearing just what you're thinking. I almost thought you got me to bite you without knowing it with how you were acting earlier."

"You know I only do it to make you happy," Gajeel said with red staining his cheeks. He'd never put much thought into how differently he acted with Lucy than with anyone else, or even the way he used to act around her, but now that she'd brought it up Gajeel wasn't entirely sure what he should do about it. "Act that way, I mean… Without biting… And because I want to… Sometimes… Well, you know…"

Lucy giggled at how flustered Gajeel had become. This was most definitely a first. She had never seen him this way, and honestly hadn't thought it was possible. "Gajeel, are you embarrassed?" she teased.

"Shut it, Bunny Girl," Gajeel grumbled.

"Aww, don't be like that," Lucy said with a pout, giggling again when Gajeel lightly kissed her lower lip. "No need to be embarrassed for taking care of your Bunny."

"Well, how am I doing then?" Gajeel asked with a lecherous grin, though internally he was truly curious to see what she would say. Based on how happy she was right then, he could only assume that he'd done a damn good job in the sex department—and smugly thought,  _Well no fucking shit_ —but Gajeel had never tried, or wanted to try, to make someone smile without having his dick involved. He wanted to know if he was doing right by her when it wasn't about sex, and the fact that he didn't already know was genuinely aggravating.

"Perfect," Lucy answered with a blush. "You've got the happiest and most satisfied little Bunny in the world. You're most definitely a dragon—I'm sure of it now. I think you might need to fuck me with your scales more oft—"

Gajeel stopped those wonderful words from passing her lips because he just couldn't hold himself back. He swelled with pride in both his magic and ability to please the woman he wanted as a mate, and needed to feel those perfect lips of hers pressed against his. Gajeel could feel Lucy smiling into the kiss, and he forced himself to move slowly even though he wanted nothing more than to show her just how much he loved what she'd said.

"I guess… I said… Something right," Lucy giggled between kisses, smiling when Gajeel returned to nuzzling her neck and hummed his agreement.

"What about otherwise?" he asked slowly.

"Huh?"

"When we're not fucking," Gajeel said, lightly squeezing her as he rolled onto his side and pulled the spare throw blanket over himself and Lucy. He propped his head on his hand, then carefully brushed a few stray hairs behind her ear, and saw the corners of her mouth turn up into a soft smile. "I've never done anything like this, Bunny. Hell, I don't even know what  _this_  is… But, I guess… I want to make you happy. I'm definitely not the right guy for the job, since you piss me off all the goddamn time and we end up in a fist fight over it, but…" Gajeel stopped and sighed in frustration that he couldn't seem to find the words that would make Lucy understand what he was trying to say. It was so damn easy in his head, thinking of what he'd tell her or how a conversation about what he was thinking would go. Of course, as soon as he tried to get the damn words out, Gajeel was drawing a blank and sounding like an idiot.

Lucy giggled lightly, then shook her head when Gajeel glared at her. She pulled a hand out from under the blanket and pressed her fingers to his lips when he opened his mouth to start in on her for laughing, then said, "You're doing just fine, Gajeel. You do make me happy." She let her fingers brush over the piercings in his chin, then brushed her thumb back and forth across his jaw. "We might fight—a lot—but you always know how to make me smile when it counts. Every time you hold me, I'm happy. Just thinking about you  _usually_  makes me happy… unless I'm thinking about how much of an asshole you are." She paused and giggled again when Gajeel rolled his eyes. "I don't know where you got it in your head that you're not cut out for doing it, since you've done a great job so far. I don't just love you because you're a genius in bed; I love you because you're sweet, funny, sarcastic as hell, rough around the edges, and you understand me in a way that no one else has ever come close to doing. If I didn't have you, I don't know what I would have done with what's going on with my dad. You really helped me keep my shit together…"

"You would have made it through somehow," Gajeel said softly, wrapping his arm around her and tracing slow circles over her bare skin beneath the blanket. "You're a fighter, Bunny. You don't need me to protect you from everything out there…"

Lucy sighed happily when he pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her, nestling his nose in her hair.

"You might not  _need_  me for it, but…" Gajeel paused, closing his eyes and letting her scent wash over him. "But, I'm glad you trust me enough to do it. It really means a lot to me, Bunny. More than you could ever know."

Lucy smiled and listened to the steady beating of his heart. "Of course I trust you," she whispered. "I hope you'll do the same someday."

"I do trust you."

"I know you trust me," Lucy whispered, lightly squeezing him with a sigh, "You're still closed off sometimes, and I understand why. Just know that if you ever need it… If you need someone to be there for you no matter what… I'm here. Thick and thin, you've got me."

"Really?" he asked uncertainly, his glaring insecurity and fear of abandonment rising yet again. "No matter what?"

Lucy nodded and kissed just over his heart. "Really," she answered. "You'll never have to be alone again, Gajeel. As long as I'm around, I'll make sure of it."

"Fuckin' hell, Bunny," Gajeel whispered, clenching his eyes tightly and holding Lucy closer while he felt an unfamiliar stinging in his eyes that he eventually realized were tears. He took a shuddering breath, filling his lungs with the scent of this insane woman that had captured his heart, and decided then and there that he'd, without a doubt, tell her everything she needed to know about what the bites really meant once things had settled down again. Once the threat of her being taken away was gone, Gajeel would lay it all out for her and hope to whatever god would listen that she'd accept it—and him—forever.

* * *

"Ah, good," Jose said with a scowl that was completely at odds with his salutation, "You've come early."

Gajeel nodded, crossing his arms over his chest and staying completely silent.

"I have a matter that I need to discuss with you." Jose sighed and shook his head while he looked out the window of his office. "First, where is she?"

"Crazy bitch wouldn't just stay at her place," Gajeel answered. "Something about  _needing_  her daily smoothie or some shit. She's at the bar with the brat."

"The boy?" Jose asked.

"Yep, he says he'll keep an eye on her while I'm on the mission."

"I see," Jose said, then shrugged and cleared his throat. "The Fairies have officially taken a request that I cannot ignore. I need you to pay them a visit and give them a message for me."

"What's the request?"

"It seems Lucy's father has hired Fairy Tail to rescue his missing daughter—just as you said. It is being handled as an S-Class mission," Jose said. He looked over at Gajeel and saw pure rage flash in his eyes for the briefest of moments before it disappeared.  _Perfect._  "You know what to do, Gajeel. Let them know we will not take threats lightly. I want them to know who the superior guild is, and that they won't succeed in taking her from us."

"How destroyed are we talking?" Gajeel asked. "I can probably collapse the whole damn thing with all those weak points she found."

Jose nodded, stroking his chin slowly then grinned. "Don't  _completely_  destroy it. Just enough to let them know Phantom Lord isn't to be trifled with."

"Who took the request anyway?" Gajeel asked. "Who should she keep an eye out for?"

"Erza Scarlet."

Gajeel nodded, then said, "When do I leave?"

"Today. Stay hidden, and don't let them know you're there until it's too late. I want you back by morning."

With a wicked grin, Gajeel nodded and said, "Trust me, they'll get the message loud and clear."

Just as Gajeel was walking toward the door, Jose said, "Erza is to be back in Magnolia tomorrow morning from a previous mission, then she will leave immediately and come to collect Lucy. You must be out of Magnolia before she returns."

"Not a problem," Gajeel said, then made his way up into the rafters when he saw that Ryos had gone back to sitting up there instead of next to Lucy at the bar. "What're you doing up here?" he asked.

"Watching her," Ryos said with a smile, "And I put your bag up here so no one would see it."

Gajeel chuckled and said, "I've gotta head to my place and pack a couple things."

"And put those sheets somewhere," Ryos muttered with a smirk, his amusement at the older Slayer's attraction to Lucy glimmering in his eyes.

"Damn straight," Gajeel said with a smirk of his own. "I'm leaving on the next train, so I don't have time to say anything to her. Just let her know I'll be back in the morning."

Ryos nodded, then turned to look at Lucy again. "She'll be worried all day, you know."

"I know," Gajeel said with a sigh. "She should be safe for today, so just spend time with her. The mage that's coming isn't supposed to be back until tomorrow from another mission."

"What should we do then?"

"Whatever you guys want," Gajeel answered. "You need to take it easy for the next few days though while your body gets back to normal. She'll help you out later on if you wanna try eating your element again." Gajeel looked at Lucy one last time, wishing he didn't have to leave at all, then added, "Just do what you can to keep her smiling. I'll see you guys in the morning." With that, he grabbed his bag and snuck out of the guild to head to his apartment.  _I'll make them suffer for threatening her,_ Gajeel thought,  _No one fucks with a dragon and gets away with it._

 


	12. Arc 1: Dragons Protect What's Theirs

 

By the time Gajeel walked off of the train in Magnolia, he was absolutely furious. He'd gone to his apartment as soon as he left the guild and laid Lucy's sheets down on his bed before packing a spare set of clothes and some metal to munch on, then made his way to the train station. That was where the problem really started. The train to Magnolia was a four-hour ride. That's four whole hours of him being cooped up with only his thoughts to entertain himself, and since all of his thoughts were revolving around Lucy's current predicament, Gajeel found that his anger started to increase the longer he thought about it.

He made his way through the train station, shouldering past everyone that stood in his way and then stuck to alleys and rooftops to keep a low profile. He wanted to scout the guild hall, but it was barely past three in the afternoon. Instead, Gajeel went across town and found a nice abandoned building to settle in while he figured out his plan of attack. He threw his pack on the ground, then slumped against a wall and glared at the ground, flexing his hands into tight fists and releasing them over and over as he tried to form a plan.

A small pulse of magic resounded from the communication lacrima in his pocket, and Gajeel growled as he pulled it out, answering with a sneer and utter silence.

"Well, hey to you too, fuckface," Lucy said with a smirk.

Gajeel sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "What's up, Bunny?" he asked softly.

"Figured you'd be off the train by now," Lucy answered with a grin, leaning back against a pillow that Gajeel easily identified as her own.

"You're at home with the brat?" he asked.

Lucy nodded and smiled. "Safe and sound."

Gajeel smirked and shook his head at her. "Good to hear," he said.

"What's wrong?"

Gajeel raised a studded eyebrow at Lucy's question, and saw that god-forsaken concerned expression he couldn't ignore no matter how hard he tried. "I just spent four hours doing nothing but thinking about this shit that's going on… I'm pissed as hell, and ready to just say to hell with Master's plan."

Lucy frowned at Gajeel. "I said tactics, remember? Don't go all psychotic… That's my job." She finished with a wide, cheeky grin and was rewarded with a chuckle from the grumpy Slayer.

"Alright, Miss Psycho Tactician," Gajeel teased, "I'm supposed to send a message and stay hidden. What are your suggestions?" Gajeel was so focused on just killing every single Fairy he saw that he couldn't even begin to formulate some semblance of a plan. Maybe talking with Lucy would actually be helpful for him—she would have a clear head about the whole thing, and she was insanely good when it came to these types of missions. Tactics were the girl's forte, and Gajeel was more than willing to hear her out, especially with how well she had done on her own mission to just get information.

"Wait until nighttime if you're staying hidden," Lucy said, her brow furrowing in thought. "They close at different times every night, and open at the same time every morning. You'll need to scout at night to see when Mira Jane leaves. She's the one that closes and opens the guild."

"Which one is she?" Gajeel asked. There were far too many members that he honestly couldn't care less about for him to remember all of their names.

"Long white hair, blue eyes, sweet smile, huge tits," Lucy said. "She doesn't use her magic anymore, but she used to be S-Class before her sister died."

Gajeel grinned and said, "She sounds like an easy target."

Lucy nodded. "She would be, except she's accompanied every night by her younger brother, Elfman 'The Beast,' and Makarov. They're always the last three to leave. The earliest I saw them closing up was around ten, but they usually seem to be partying pretty late into the night."

"Damn," Gajeel grumbled. "I kinda want a fight… I need to blow off some serious steam here, and destroying that building isn't gonna cut it."

"How much does Master want you to do?" Lucy asked, looking away from the lacrima and nodding with a sweet smile.

"Not completely destroyed," Gajeel muttered. "Enough to let them know we're the top dogs, and they made a fucking mistake threatening to take a guild member."

"He said that?" Lucy asked with wide eyes.

Gajeel grinned and nodded. "Seems my crazy Bunny Girl is one of his new favorites," he teased, chuckling when Lucy glared at him. "He says with proper training you can be insanely powerful—that's why we went on that mission. He doesn't want to give up a strong mage that really could become the next S-Class, so he's taking the threat seriously."

"He was planning this before we found out about the threat, though," Lucy said with a blush. "And I'm pretty sure you and Juvia have lost your minds if you think I could become S-Class. I'm nowhere near you guys in that respect…"

"Uh, yeah," Gajeel said pointedly, "You fucking are. What you lack in magic ability in any given situation, you make up for in intelligence. What you lack in strength when it comes to hand-to-hand, you compensate with dexterity. Plus, you decked Sol in that meeting; that's gotta count for something. As far as Master planning this beforehand, it's probably just giving him one more reason to do it; he's had a beef with Makarov for years, so the threat just makes it seem less personal to him and more of a guild-wide effort or something."

Lucy grinned when Gajeel started complimenting her, and her grin stayed in place while Ryos sat down next to her on the bed with a book in his hands. "That does make sense," she said. "I'd say if he wants you to send a message, then collapse three or four key sections and then make the rest superficial ones. There's gonna be a good bit of destruction from the key points you do go after, so everything else should really just be for show."

"So," Gajeel said with a wicked grin, "Make it so they're not the only ones that see it."

"Exactly. All of Magnolia should be able to see that we're responsible," Lucy said with a nod. "If Master wants to make a statement, then why not shout that shit from the fucking rooftops?"

"I think I know just what to do, Bunny," Gajeel replied, chuckling and shaking his head. This was exactly what he'd needed: Lucy cracking jokes, forcing him to think straight, giving insight into Fairy Tail that would have taken him at least a month to memorize the way she had, and letting him see that she really was okay. He had been pissed off, absolutely infuriated, and ready to kill the next person he saw when she called. Now that he wasn't nearly as agitated, he was really glad that Lucy called him because just being able to see her did wonders for his mental state. He was definitely still angry about the threat to her freedom, but it was no longer turning his vision red from rage. "Too damn good…"  
"Feeling a little better, then?" Lucy asked softly.

"Nope. I'm still pissed the hell off," Gajeel answered. "I'm just gonna use it as more motivation. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a weak little Fairy to vent out my frustrations on…"

Lucy giggled, her eyes dancing with mirth and mischief. "Well, I would say that I pity them since I've been on the receiving end of your venting before… But, they fucking deserve to suffer."

"Hey, suffering's kinda my specialty, Bunny Girl," Gajeel chuckled. "I seem to remember someone saying they wanted me to do that, anyway."

"Aww," Lucy cooed dramatically, batting her eyelashes and daintily covering her mouth with her free hand. "You'd beat up a Fairy for little ol' me? My dear, you are  _far_  too kind a gentleman."

"I'd do it regardless, Bunny," Gajeel said, his words halted for a moment while he openly laughed at her ridiculousness for the moment. "But, for you I'll make it extra special."

"Such a sweetheart, Gajeel," Lucy whispered, blushing and smiling gently at him. "Let me know if you find one, okay?"

"Of course," Gajeel said. "I'm gonna get going. I'll probably just get some lunch, and stay out of sight until it's dark… So, for another five hours… You guys have fun today."

Lucy playfully saluted, turning the lacrima slightly and laying her head on top of Ryos' while the younger Slayer looked up from his book to smile at Gajeel. "We're gonna see if Ryos can eat some shadows in a little while, and if he's feeling up to it we might even bake a cake."

"Didn't you two have enough yesterday?" Gajeel chuckled.

"No," Ryos said with a smirk. "Lucy apparently has a huge sweet tooth that our trip to the bakery unleashed. We'll be going grocery shopping in a little while for supplies to feed the monster we've created."

"Well, save me a piece for tomorrow then," Gajeel said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not making any promises," Lucy retorted with a grin. "That sweet tooth monster is quite the ravenous beast."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Gajeel chuckled again. "Just be careful when you're eating those shadows, brat. Don't make my Bunny worry."

Ryos mimicked Lucy's earlier salute and nodded. "Got it. No worried Bunnies here," he said in mock solemnity, "I'll be careful."

"Sounds like a plan," Gajeel said before looking back at Lucy. "Keep an eye out for Erza, by the way. I forgot to tell the brat who took the mission. She's not supposed to be back in Magnolia until tomorrow morning, but just in case she came back early I want you to be on the lookout for her."

Lucy grimaced and nodded. "If I see her, I'll head straight to the guild and tell Master. No way in hell she'll be able to get past him."

"Smart girl," Gajeel said softly. "I love you, Bunny."

"I love you too, Black Steel," Lucy whispered with a soft smile. "Call me when you're on your way back, okay?"

"Sure. It'll be late, but I'll let you know when to expect me. Talk to you soon, Bunny," Gajeel said with a smirk.

"Later," Lucy said before the screen went dark as the connection was cut off.

Gajeel sighed and leaned his head back against the concrete wall, closing his eyes and letting his senses reach out to make sure no one was nearby. What he wanted was to be back in Lucy's apartment, holding and nuzzling her, marking her with his scent as much as possible while he took in that decadent sugar and almond concoction that was uniquely hers, joking around, getting into arguments, making up with wild and crazy sex. Most of all though, Gajeel wanted to tell her about the bites. A part of him worried that he should have told her before, especially because of how easily he could lose control if he wasn't extremely careful while he bit her.

At least if she knew about marking and mating for Dragon Slayers, had accepted his offer to make her his mate, he would know if she was in trouble. Gajeel had been told that he would feel it in his gut first: his instincts would roar to life with the urge to protect when she was merely threatened, and he'd be able to find her more easily so he could keep her safe. If she was injured, he'd feel it in his chest next, an ache that would grow into a searing pain that would lance through his whole body—radiating specifically where she was hurt. That feeling would make him go on a rampage until he found her, but at least he would know what was happening. If she was killed, he'd lose it completely though; it would be like someone had reached right through his ribs, tore his still-beating heart from him, and then squeezed it until the fucker popped. A Slayer's mate being killed was usually a death sentence for the Slayer once they'd found a sense of retribution for the passing of their loved one. He wouldn't want to live without her, wouldn't be able to find the motivation to continue on unless she'd had a child. That one small life would be the only saving grace for a "Fallen Slayer" that failed to protect what was his; carrying on his mate's memory in the life of their offspring would be his sole purpose in life after her death.

Lucy didn't know any of that though, and that was entirely Gajeel's fault. Maybe if he'd had the courage to tell her before he left, and give her time to think it over while he was on the mission, then he'd be able to return and get an answer. It would probably kill him if she was taken away during this whole ordeal with her father, but… If she had agreed to be his mate, then they would be married by the traditions of the dragons. Her father wouldn't be able to take her away if she was already married. Gajeel honestly didn't give a shit about something like that—about the concept of human marriages—because mating was on a much deeper level than any little ring on a finger and a legal document saying that you're together for life. Mating was inescapable and irreversible once completed. It wasn't for life, but for eternity. Mating tied two beings together in more than just the perceivable world; it tied their magic, emotions, state of being, existence, souls, hearts, fates, and everything else in between together. One thing that had always eased Gajeel's mind about the concept of mating was that  _he_  and the woman he chose were in complete control over it. There was no sense of the word fate in the couple coming together. He and Lucy weren't  _meant_  to be together, predestined long ago, or any insanely archaic garbage like that. Sure, Lucy was a great match for him—from how she reacted to the wilder side of himself and his magic, along with the positive results of biting, the way she was able to challenge him and never backed down, and even how she was able to break through the walls he'd built over the years and nestle herself deep in his heart—but if he didn't  _want_ to mate with her then Gajeel didn't have to. Just like Lucy would have the choice to say she didn't want to become his mate after he told her about it all; it would probably completely shatter him if she said no, but she was still afforded that option. It was simple and manageable that way in his narrow scope of the world that considered only what affected his life.

Gajeel wanted to be with Lucy right then, not stuck in Magnolia and waiting for nightfall so he could carry out a mission for Master Jose on some insignificant Fairy Tail trash that wasn't even worth his time. If it hadn't been for the threat to take his snarky blonde bombshell away, Gajeel would have just gone through the motions of destroying the guild and been done with it. Instead, he was looking for vengeance on the shitty little fuckers that dared threaten what was his—the woman that had captured his heart, swore to be with him in a strange and childish promise, was willing to stick by his side through thick and thin, and the one woman that would hopefully let him cherish her forever. Gajeel knew he was a lot of horrible things—anti-social and violent, cruel and terrifying, ruthless, selfish, and hot-tempered, and any other number of negative characteristics—but Lucy somehow gave him the ability to give at least a single flying fuck about someone other than himself. It was because she'd wheedled her way into his heart, just by being who she was, that Gajeel found himself wishing he could be a gentler person at times. He was at least that way with her when she needed him to be, and maybe that was all that mattered. If she allowed him to mark her, Gajeel knew for a fact that he would do everything in his power to keep her happy, and not just from the dragon inside that would push him to do it, but from his own desire to make it happen.

When Gajeel finally opened his eyes again, he blinked repeatedly as he took in his darkened surroundings. "Son of a bitch," he mumbled, standing up and stretching. "Talk about losing track of time…" He grabbed his bag, then walked out of the building, instantly looking up to the sky to look at the stars. One of the huge bonuses of reading that constellation book Lucy had given him was that Gajeel had learned how to get a general idea of the time based on the constellations' brightness for that time of year and the moon's placement. He tended to check the night sky from time to time just to see how well he could do in figuring out what time it was, but he didn't have a clue right then. With a sigh, Gajeel scarfed down the metal he'd brought with him to give himself a little boost, then made his way across Magnolia over the town's rooftops to check out the Fairy Tail guild.

 _Musty books… Too much cologne… Freshly tilled soil…_  Gajeel froze and dropped his bag silently on the roof he was perched on once those familiar scents wafted through the streets and into his sinuses. The scents were fading as if the people that he knew were associated with them had just passed through the area, and Gajeel grinned maliciously when he realized that he could easily follow them and get out some of his extra energy and frustration.  _Plus, I can make my Bunny happy._ He knew just how he could make them suffer for being the cause of all of this bullshit. And fucking hell was he gonna have some serious fun with them.

Gajeel took in his surroundings, and saw that he was several blocks away from the guild he'd been ready to scout out. Turning to look in the other direction, Gajeel saw a library with a large clock that showed it was nearing ten at night. Considering he would be up a good portion of the night if the Fairies decided to party, he was glad he'd gotten some extra rest especially since he and Lucy had stayed up late the night before on the roof. Picking up his bag, Gajeel took a deep whiff of the night air, honing in on the most distinctive scent of the three: musty books. He could have used the cologne scent, but he really didn't feel like having a headache afterwards from how strong that shit was. The other man that accompanied the two had a scent that was too close to nature for him to feel comfortable pinpointing if they were surrounded by plants. Besides, he knew the little blue-haired chick was the one that smelled like books, and  _she_  was the one that seemed to call the shots for the little trio. It had been her voice he'd heard when the Fairies followed him and Lucy to the guild, saying who Lucy was and then telling her companions that they needed to talk to Makarov. Little Miss Bookworm couldn't keep her mouth shut, and now Gajeel had a chance to help her out with it.

He kept to the shadows of the rooftops while he followed the three Fairies, observing them from a distance and grinning wickedly when he realized they were walking further and further from the guild.

"I still don't like this," Droy said with a frown. "Why would Master make it an S-Class mission just to get some rich girl?"

Jet rolled his eyes at Droy. "Maybe because that behemoth was carting her around like a sack of potatoes, then literally  _threw_  her into Phantom's building?"

"So, why wouldn't he send a strong team to do it?"

Levy sighed and shook her head, stretching her arms out to the sides and enjoying the slight buzz of the alcohol she'd had at the guild. Not too much, but just enough to feel a little intoxicated and loosen up from the stress and worry she'd had over Lucy Heartfilia's predicament. "There aren't many teams, Droy. The Raijinshuu is out with Laxus, wherever he went off to this time. Then there's really only Shadowgear and Mickey's team. Erza's strong and definitely capable of getting Lucy out of there safely. We just have to believe in her."

Gajeel rolled his eyes at the ridiculous conversation they were having.  _Fucking bleeding hearts,_  he thought sourly. They were all so worried about Lucy being kidnapped that they didn't even consider there might be more to the story about why she was missing. He sneered when he saw the way the blunette's companions' instantly cow-towed to her as if her words were the fucking gospel, and it made him sick to his stomach. The little bitch was the reason he was so angry in the first place. Sure, there was Lucy's dad that had requested someone find his daughter, Makarov who had accepted the request, Erza who would try and take his Bunny away… But the Know-It-All down there was the one responsible for the shitty turn of events. He could have easily attacked Fairy Tail's guild according to Master Jose's plan, then gone home to Lucy and told her what he'd been wanting to ever since he realized he loved her. Instead of that, he had to deal with more shit, more anxiety, more fear over her being ripped from his life. No way in hell was some tiny, pathetic little Fairy trash going to make him afraid.

Gajeel took in his surroundings again and saw that the group was nearing a corner of the road that was blocked on one side by a concrete wall that held a bridge, and buildings surrounding them everywhere else.  _Good,_  he thought as he let his rage course through him, fueling the rampage and destruction he was ready to reap on the ones who had threatened his happiness, and his Bunny's freedom.

"You sure this is okay? Shouldn't you stay with Laki and the others at the girl's dorm?" Jet asked uncertainly, glancing around the street when the hairs on the back of his neck started to tingle in anxiety.

"It's fine," Levy said dismissively, closing her eyes and pretending she was balancing on a highwire while they made their way towards the park. "I don't wanna split up our team."

Gajeel glared down at the three mages while they approached an archway in the long concrete wall, coming closer and closer to the corner he was planning on ambushing them in.  _These guys are just fucking sad,_  he thought as he watched the two fawning idiots drop to the ground with metaphorical hearts in their eyes from the shrimpy girl's words.

"The three of us can face anything together! I'll always protect you!" Droy shouted, throwing a fist into the air as he caught up with Levy.

"No,  _I_ will!" Jet countered, catching up to his teammates and glaring at Droy.

Gajeel grinned and launched himself into the air, leaving his bag on the rooftop he'd just been perched on, while the guys argued with one another. He felt his inner dragon roaring in tandem with his own anger at the audacity of the trio's actions that threatened his intended mate, and the fear that wafted up through the night air only caused a menacing growl to rumble through Gajeel as he descended on them.

Levy whirled around when cold fear washed through her, and she gasped when she saw a huge shadow racing towards them from the sky. There was only the gleam of red eyes that she could make out before she tried to find her Magic Pen with jittery hands to attempt to defend herself. She clutched it tightly and brought the pen up into the air, then shrieked and dropped it when two large beams of some sort of metal shot past her on either side to hit Jet and Droy.

All of the air in Jet's lungs was knocked out of him with the solid hit he took to the chest, and he vaguely registered that he was flying through the air until he came crashing into a stone wall of one of the surrounding buildings. His vision blurred when his head cracked the stone, and he fought to breathe once he was laid out and limp on the ground. "L-Le…vy," he rasped, fighting the nausea that swept through him when he picked his head up from the ground to try and find the blunette. His head was swimming, dizziness washing back and forth and jumbling his brain, and each rattling breath he took caused pain to radiate from his chest up into his shoulders and across his back.

Gajeel landed directly in front of the terrified girl, his growl still reverberating through him while he grinned and silently promised her never-ending torment. She was frozen in place, shaking like a leaf, and only a small whimper crept up her throat before he closed a hand around it and squeezed. Gajeel slowly lifted her into the air until her face was level with his, and growled, "You should have left her alone…"

Levy's eyes widened when the moonlight glinted off of the plethora of piercings adorning the man that had her in his grasp. Instant recognition of who he was and what she'd imagined he was capable of made her lock up, and all she could do was try to force air past the narrowed windpipe he was squeezing while she helplessly dangled in the air and looked into those terrifying blood red eyes. "Please," she breathed, feeling tears welling in her eyes.

Gajeel cackled and threw her across the way to land in a heap between her two lapdogs. "I don't take requests," he said as he stalked over to them. "Not from weak pieces of shit like you."

Droy was the first to regain even a small sense of equilibrium from the forceful hit he'd taken, and slowly dragged himself over to hover protectively over Levy. "Stay the hell away from h—"

Gajeel sneered and turned his leg into an iron pole, sending it shooting out at the guy's leg and hearing the wonderfully satisfying crunch of his femur shattering mixing with the garbled cry of pain that ripped from his victim's mouth.

Levy gasped for air once she landed on the ground, and cried out when Droy collapsed on top of her. His whole body was trembling, both hands tightly grasping his thigh while he gritted his teeth and took deep hissing breaths. "D-Droy!" she shouted, trying to wriggle out from beneath him in vain.

"Jet," Droy said through the nauseating pain in his leg, his eyes clenched shut as he tried to push past it. "Get… Levy to… the… guild!"

"Don't think so," Gajeel growled, already holding the orange-haired man by the scruff of his neck. He pulled back his fist and landed one solid punch to Jet's side, feeling the already fractured ribs splintering into tiny pieces just on the other side of his skin. "What kinda magic did Bunny say you used again?" he mused out loud.

Gajeel's words were answered with only whimpers and wheezing breaths.

"Let's give you some motivation to answer me," Gajeel said darkly, shifting his arm into a sword and digging the pointed end into the blunette's calf. She shrieked in pain, the scent of her blood wafting through the air around them, and Gajeel knelt down on the ground holding Jet's face right next to the wound. "What's your answer, cockstain?" he growled.

Jet could hardly breathe, the pain in his chest from his shattered ribs mixing with the lancing pain that shot through his heart from hearing Levy's scream. "I'll…" he wheezed, vaguely wondering if he could even be heard, "Nev… er… Tell…"

Gajeel chuckled, activating his magic and slowly rotating the blade that was still jammed in the girl's leg. Over and over, making the gash wider with each pass, Gajeel reveled in the agony he was causing her. He paused, waiting for her to stop screaming and start whimpering, then said, "Tell me, Short Stack. What's his magic?"

Before Levy could even sneer at him defiantly, the monster that had attacked her team grinned and showed off a set of pearly white pointed teeth. She fought the roiling in her stomach, the way its contents churned and threatened to crawl back up the way it came, when a single studded eyebrow raised in question at her. The blade in her leg finally slid out from deep within the muscle, causing Levy to scream again as the serrated edges tore into her as they passed.

Gajeel lifted Jet's head up, one hand still holding the back of his neck while the other clamped tightly on his jaw. "Guess he's not useful then," Gajeel said, looking right into the terrified brown eyes that stared back at him. "Should I just… snap his neck?"

"N-No!" Levy shouted, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "High Speed! He uses High Speed Magic!"

Gajeel cackled and nodded. "That's right... I remember now." He leaned in until his nose was barely an inch from hers and whispered, "Bunny Girl's a smart fucking cookie. She got every little fucking detail about you Fairy fuckers, and you never suspected a thing."

Levy whimpered, wincing when she heard Jet cry out along with a loud crack sounding out through the air. Chancing a glance down at him, she saw a large puddle of blood pooling far too quickly from his head as it laid on the ground. "JET!" she screeched.

Gajeel's hand shot up to clamp over her mouth roughly. "Keep it down, Bookworm," he growled low in his throat, grinning wickedly when she visibly shivered and her fear and anxiety peaked. "Hope he doesn't bleed out while we're chatting. That'd be too fucking bad… for you." Gajeel glanced down at the groaning brunette that was doing a wonderful job of pinning the terrified girl to the ground. "If he dies, then I'll only have two little Fairies to fuck with before I destroy your shitty guild. And you  _really_  don't want me to have less trash to toy with."

Levy's eyes widened, her brow pushing together, and she violently shook her head as she silently pleaded with the man to leave them all alone.

Droy groaned again and focused just enough to send out a burst of his magic. Throwing some seeds on the ground, he sent out his Chain Plants in the hopes of binding up the psychopath that had hurt Levy. He watched with hazy vision as five small magic circles appeared on the ground just behind the man, then thin vines shot up into the air and wrapped around his arms and neck. Droy smirked triumphantly and rolled onto his side, finally pulling himself off of Levy's slight form, as their attacker pulled away from them.

Gajeel snarled and shifted into his metal scales, using his claws to tear through the sad attempt at binding him. He lunged forward, tackling Droy to the ground and pummeling his face with all of the force he possessed. "You wanna see how to tie someone up, Fertilizer Breath?!" he growled, throwing one more punch and knocking the guy out completely—at least for now.

Levy crawled away as silently as possible while Droy was being beaten, her injured leg dragging uselessly behind her while she went after the Magic Pen she had dropped before. Both of her teammates had been taken out, and she needed to find a way to stall so she could get a message to someone in the guild. They needed help, and it was clear that Phantom Lord was going to be launching a full attack on Fairy Tail.  _Who is this 'Bunny' the guy keeps talking about?,_  she wondered as she wrapped her fingers around the pen. She turned and quickly chanted, "Solid Script: Stone!" watching as the stone letters flew through the air and collided with the man that had just turned around after dropping Droy's limp body to the ground.

Gajeel slowly stood up, shaking off the small bits of rubble from the magic she had used, and grinned when she gasped at his appearance. He slowly stalked towards Levy, rolling his eyes when the words "Fire," "Water," and finally "Iron" all came shooting out of her little pen. The fire didn't do a damn thing to him aside from singe his clothes a little. If anything, the water that shot out afterwards stopped the majority of the damage his apparel would have taken. And finally, the iron.  _Seriously? Bitch just gave me a goddamn SNACK!_

"Wh-What do you want?!" Levy shouted, dragging herself backwards until she bumped into another wall. The man in front of her could hardly be considered a man at all. His mane of wild black hair was flowing slightly in the chilly night air, his dangerous red eyes were boring into her and promising nothing but pain and suffering for her and her teammates. A fresh wave of dread filled her, causing her blood to run cold, when she first saw the entirely metallic glint of his body. Upon closer inspection, as he stalked towards her and started to eat the iron spell she'd sent at him, she saw that the metal was really some sort of plating that seemed to resemble scales. The piercings she'd seen before across his face and arms had become decidedly more deadly, elongating into frightening spikes that looked as though they could rend her flesh with hardly any effort. And his teeth… Oh, sweet Mavis, his teeth were sharper and purely metal that caught the pale moonlight with each bite he took. Levy whimpered when a low growl echoed through the street when he finally stopped in front of her. "Wh-Who are y-you? Wh-What do you want?" she whispered, her voice trembling no matter how hard she tried to keep it steady.

Gajeel dropped a foot to the girl's injured leg, twisting his heel back and forth over the still bleeding wound and cackling when she screamed. He channeled a small bit of magic and created a series of three individual shackles that were connected by a thick chain, then lunged forward and clamped one over her wrist. While kneeling in front of the crying girl, Gajeel simply raised an eyebrow at her when she used her free hand to try and stab him with her pen.

Levy gasped when her Magic Pen didn't do a single thing to deter the monster in front of her. There wasn't much she could do at this point, and was starting to feel weaker by the second as she lost more blood from the gash in her leg, but she was a Fairy Tail mage, and that meant she would never give up. Not a moment after she'd thought that, his hand shot up and covered hers, easily dwarfing it while he started squeezing. Levy bit her lips as she fought to hide the pain she was in, but when every one of her fingers started protesting the intense pressure he was exerting on her, a single whimper escaped her lips. She watched in horror as his eyes stayed locked on hers while he grinned; a quick flick of his wrist shattering the bones in her hand around her pen and snapping her wrist like a twig.

While the girl screamed again and again, Gajeel opened his hand to see her blood coating it from where his claws had punctured her flesh. He pulled the pen from her mangled grip and smirked while he put it in his pocket. "Hm, a little souvenir might make her happy," he chuckled, standing up and dragging Levy roughly across the slightly uneven cobblestone back towards her companions. Gajeel wrapped a shackle around both Jet's and Droy's wrists, then chuckled while he held the two unconscious mages and the blunette that was wracked with pain in the air. "In answer to your questions," Gajeel growled, "I'm Black Steel Gajeel, Iron Dragon Slayer of Phantom Lord… and what I  _want_  is for you to suffer. We're sending a message to your pathetic little guild: Don't fuck with Phantom."

"We n-never did a-anything!" Levy cried, holding her broken hand to her chest and sobbing uncontrollably.  _IRON Dragon Slayer?!,_  she internally screeched. She thought that Natsu was the only Dragon Slayer in existence since they had never come across another one before.

"That's where you're wrong," Gajeel said with a wicked grin that turned into a snarl as he continued. "You threatened to take her from us. Why do you think I'm here before Erza's back, huh Bookworm?"

Levy's eyes widened, her breaths coming in short bursts when her mind quickly put the pieces together. "This… This is about L-Lucy?" she asked in shock.  _How does he know Erza's involved? Or that she's away?!_  "But, you kidnapped her!"

Gajeel laughed, full belly-bursting laughter that had him dropping the trio to the ground. "Wrong again," he said, none-too-gently nudging Jet's ribs with his boot and grinning when the man groaned and started regaining consciousness. "That psycho joined the guild four months ago. One of our best killers, if you ask me."

"N-No," Levy whispered. "The papers said—"

"They said what her old man wants them to think," Gajeel growled, crouching down in front of Levy while he pounded a fist into Droy's broken leg to wake him up as well. "She's a Phantom, and she's  _mine._ Since you three are the ones that went and blabbed to your guildmaster, it looks like I get to have some fun with you."

"You're… a monster," Jet croaked out, his breathing labored and shallow to minimize the pain as much as possible.

"Seriously," Droy slurred. "What kind of… crazed lunatic… wants people to suffer?"

Gajeel chuckled and shook his head, keeping his eyes locked on Levy's. "Plenty of people. I got a special request to make some Fairies suffer though, and I really couldn't turn it down. Especially when it's you three."

"Wh-Why?" Levy asked, curling in on herself when Gajeel leaned closer to her.

"Because what my Bunny Girl wants, she gets," Gajeel answered. "What she really wants is all of you dead, but she had to settle. Besides, when your little friends find you, there's gonna be a whole guild full of fucking tears when they see what Phantom can do."

"Who the… hell is… Bunny Girl?" Jet rasped.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at Levy, waiting for her to put the pieces together.

"Lucy Heartfilia," Levy gasped, watching in horror as Gajeel grinned and nodded.

"She wants you to suffer for threatening to take her back to her old man. Says you deserve everything I can give you for trying to take her away, and I'm more than fucking willing to do it. You don't piss off a Dragon Slayer, and you  _especially_ don't threaten what's theirs if you wanna live a long, healthy life," Gajeel said while he stood up and started dragging the three mages across the ground towards the park. "Be glad it's me and not her. You guys would be begging to die by the time she was finished with you."

Levy's mind was whirling with the new information she'd been given. Gajeel said that Lucy had joined Phantom Lord four months prior, when the blonde's father said she'd been missing for a month. Apparently, if he was telling the truth about her status in his guild, there was much more they needed to know about the situation before they could try and figure out what to do. If she wasn't kidnapped, then there's no way Fairy Tail would try and steal her away, especially if she voluntarily joined Phantom Lord. The fact that Gajeel had said Lucy was psychotic, a killer, and wanted them to suffer both made sense to Levy and confused her. Based on what she'd witnessed the day they saw Gajeel carrying Lucy to the guild, Levy could tell that the woman was capable of at least handling herself when it came to curses and threats; the fact that Lucy had so easily and thoroughly threatened Gajeel's life and genitals that day almost made it seem as though she was speaking from experience more than from hyperbole. What Levy couldn't understand was how an heiress would become something so evil and terrible. Then there was the fact that Gajeel had mentioned Lucy having gotten information on the guild, but how? "I… don't understand…" she whimpered, feeling a slight bit of relief when the harsh cobblestones gave way to the lush grass of the park she had been ready to spend the night in with her teammates—camping out under their favorite tree and just having a good relaxing time together.

"It's really not that hard," Gajeel said, tossing his captives into the trunk of a tree and sitting on the ground while he starting making what he would need for his entertainment during their 'playtime'. He used his heightened senses to check the surrounding area, and realized that he'd brought them to the very center of the park, to the largest tree in the area, and there was no one around to hear them screaming. "Master Jose sent me to take down your guild, which is where I'll be going once Mira Jane closes up and leaves for the night. Bunny Girl asked me to fuck up some Fairies for her since she's back at home with the brat. And I'm gonna enjoy the  _fuck_  out of it."

"She's insane!" Droy shouted, instantly regretting it when he felt blood pounding in his head and pooling in his mouth from the beating he'd already taken.  _'Back at home with the brat'?,_  Droy thought in confusion,  _He sounds like he's talking about a perfectly normal family… Aside from the whole crazy torturing part._

"Hell yeah, she is," Gajeel smirked. "An absolute psychopath when she needs to be. You guys got on her bad side, and I'm lucky enough to have found you. Man, you have no clue how excited she'll be when I tell her about this in the morning."

"How did she get information on us?" Levy asked, her senses dulling slightly while she felt like she was floating off into the distance.

Gajeel scowled and picked up the iron chain he'd made, then lashed out and struck Levy in the ribs. She cried out and he simply raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't go passing out yet. I haven't even gotten to the good part," he said with a grin. "Master Jose gave her a mission to find out everything she could about you Fairies. Said she met up with some flirty stripper and his partner on the train, and they were gushing the entire time about you all. Sorcerer's Weekly had a bunch of shit, then she used one of her spirits to get the rest. Hell, she even sat down and talked with Erza at a fucking coffee shop. You're a bunch of fucking morons, if you ask me. She's got a file on every single one of you little piss-ants from S-Class down, and knows everything about you." Gajeel stood up and unshackled Levy, grabbing her by the arms and slowly extending his legs into iron poles. Once she was nice and high off of the ground, he grinned and asked, "Anything else before I get started? I hate being interrupted while I'm working."

Just as Levy tried to open her mouth to speak, she felt Gajeel squeeze her wrists—shattering the previously uninjured one in the process—and then slowly pulling her arms further and further away from her body. She felt searing pain shooting through her arms and back as he tore the muscles and ligaments that held her shoulders together with expert precision, then finally two loud pops sounded as a wave of nausea swept over her. Levy screamed at the top of her lungs, her throat going raw in the process when her nerves started firing off and shots of electricity seemed to streak all down her arms and into her chest. She was finding it harder and harder to breathe while the pain overwhelmed her system, and hardly noticed the sweat pouring down her face or how the blood seemed to rush out of her head.

Gajeel made quick work of pinning Levy's dislocated arms to the tree, covering each one with two iron bars and nailing them in place, and letting her slight weight pull down on the restraints to cause her even more pain.

"Surprised you didn't puke everywhere," Gajeel said with a sadistic grin as he lowered himself to the ground again while Levy sobbed and hung her head. He turned to look at her teammates, and saw that they were both staring in horror at the blunette. "Don't worry, you guys will join her in a bit."

Jet and Droy turned to glare at Gajeel, and both men felt anger swelling inside of them at the horrendous treatment the woman of their dreams had endured. "You won't get away with this!" Jet wheezed, the venom in his voice altogether nonexistent in the aftermath of his shattered ribs and most likely collapsed lung.

"They'll find us, and then come after you for it!" Droy added, feeling bile rising in the back of his throat.

Gajeel raised a spiked eyebrow at him. "You think they'll know who it was?" he asked, hoping that Droy would say yes. He  _wanted_  them to know who had attacked these three. That was the whole point of the mission: send a message to Fairy Tail.

"Of course they will!" Droy continued, pushing himself up slowly and leaning heavily against the tree that Levy was pinned to. "We'll tell them everything! Once they find us, we'll tell them your whole plan."

"Yeah," Jet added, pushing past the pain that radiated through every fiber of his being and pushing himself up with the assistance of both the tree and Droy. He held an arm across his ribs, and fought to catch his breath from the simplest movement. "You and that crazy bitch will be begging for mercy!"

Gajeel growled and narrowed his eyes, his upper lip curling while he reached down and picked up the heavy iron chain he'd made. "Don't talk about her," he warned.

Jet laughed drily, causing him to cough and retch while a small bit of blood flew up into his mouth.  _That's really not good,_  he thought. He returned Gajeel's glare and smirked. "Why not?" he asked, ignoring how Droy's hand shot out to tightly grip his arm in a silent plea to stop before he made things worse. "You're like a dog just doing as your mistress wants! It's pathetic! Here you are attacking a good and sweet girl, all on the whim of some whore!"

Droy watched in horror as Gajeel's nostrils flared, the rage wafting off of him practically tangible and his aura darkening with each word that passed Jet's lips.  _Damnit, Jet! Shut up!_  It wasn't long after Jet finished speaking that they were both rewarded with a heavy metal chain whipping repeatedly across their bodies while the man growled and cackled maniacally. They could feel bones creaking under the weight of the chain as it lashed across them over and over, the small breaths they could manage between hits was hardly more than enough to maintain consciousness. Jet and Droy collapsed to the ground again, curling in on themselves to try and minimize the damage their organs would take. Neither mage was able to even gasp out a call for help, and when the onslaught of attacks finally abated, all they could do was try to breathe.

Gajeel didn't have the words to describe his anger at what Jet had said about Lucy. When the two men he'd been beating finally passed out from the pain again, he looked up at the previously weeping girl and saw that her head was still hung low, her short blue bangs shielding her eyes from sight while she slowly regained consciousness. "You afraid, Shorty?" he growled, extending one arm into a lance and forcing her chin up so he could meet her gaze. He already knew the answer: she was petrified, just like he wanted. Her two lackeys were just icing on the cake for him, because Levy was the one he really wanted to torture until she was a quivering mass of unrecognizable flesh, mumbling incoherently for the rest of her life. This little bitch had caused the threat to Lucy's freedom to become a reality; instead of her father searching for her, the fucker knew where she was at and was going to try and steal her from Gajeel.  _Fuck taking her from Phantom,_  he thought angrily,  _I'd go anywhere for her._  He knew that he owed Jose a lot for everything that the guild master had done to help Gajeel out when he was lost and alone, and he was thankful for it. Gajeel also knew that if Lucy decided to leave Phantom, to keep running from her father, he would be right by her side. He cared too much to let her go.

Levy's vision was blurry when she came back to reality, her consciousness fading in and out, and even her hearing had become warbled and distorted. There was nothing she could do any longer. Fairy Tail mages fight to their last breath, but she was strung up like a sacrifice with two broken wrists, a broken hand, a heavily bleeding injury in her leg, and two dislocated shoulders. The weight of her body pulling down on her already injured arms was excruciating, and it was a surprise even to her that she hadn't passed out from the pain sooner. Then again, she was well on her way to doing just that, and she feared that if it happened she wouldn't ever wake up again.

Gajeel sighed when he looked at the three mages. They couldn't handle much more before he killed them, and that wasn't something he was going to do. He wanted them to be very much alive—even if only just—when their guildmates found them. He wanted Fairy Tail to know exactly what Phantom would do, what  _he_  would do, to keep Lucy away from them and her father. His inner dragon's approving growl filled Gajeel from head to toe, and he decided to just have a little more fun before he went off to keep an eye on the guild. He had to try and control himself a little bit, because the pain of seeing these Fairies strung up and still in excruciating agony would be much more satisfying than Fairy Tail finding corpses. If the little blue-haired bitch didn't keep her mouth shut and decided to keep with the trend of talking shit about his little Bunny, Gajeel wasn't sure that his dragon would stay under much longer. Within minutes, both Jet and Droy were pinned to the tree just like their 'fearless' leader, and Gajeel stood back with his arms crossed over his chest to admire his handiwork. "Who do you think will cry the most?" he asked with a grin. "I bet it'll be just like when Lisanna died."

Levy gasped, her eyes coming to a pinpoint focus on the monster. "H-How do you…"

Gajeel chuckled and said, "I told you. My Bunny's got fucking skills."

Levy finally felt something other than fear inside of her, and took hold of it with all the strength she still possessed. She was angry, and she knew exactly how to fight against this monster. She might not have the strength to fight against him, but her passion was language. What better way to get under his skin than to use words against him? "Fairy Tail won't fail against your guild!" she shouted defiantly, ignoring the flaring pain in her body when she tried to fight against the restraints.  _Losing Lisanna nearly killed everyone in the guild,_  she thought angrily,  _How could he… How could_ _ **they**_ _want something so horrible?!_

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Gajeel said, taking the time to push the most intense portions of his anger back under so he wouldn't lose his mind and kill them.

Levy scowled at him, narrowing her eyes and said, "We're stronger than you give us credit for. The pain that one member feels resounds throughout the rest of the guild, giving them the push they need to come out on top!" She watched Gajeel roll his eyes and scoff, then saw a soft green glow emanating from one of his hands while he slowly moved it down the chain she hadn't seen before. It didn't matter to Levy what he had planned, since she was planning on using whatever she possibly could to tear him down until he wasn't able to handle anymore. "And I'm sure they'll be more than happy to pay  _Lucy_  back for what she's done!"

Gajeel paused in adding inch-long serrated spikes to the chain he'd used to beat Jet and Droy, then raised his eyebrow at Levy. "What was that?" he asked slowly.

Levy smirked at him triumphantly as she thought,  _Bingo. There's his weakness._  "I said Lucy's going to be targeted for her part in all of this," she taunted. "If you think what you're doing is bad, you should just wait and see what will happen to her for being behind it all."

"Shut up," Gajeel whispered, his hand tightening around the chain while he took deep breaths to maintain some semblance of control over himself.

"She's a freak," Levy continued, her voice filled with hatred, "A sick freak that's obviously got some serious mental issues if she's willing to be anywhere near someone like  _you_! You're both disgusting, vile, and you deserve every bit of pain that Fairy Tail brings down on you for this!"

"I said shut up!" Gajeel growled, his metal teeth grinding against one another and sending out a shrill screeching noise into the dead night air. "You don't know a goddamn thing about her."

"She's an heiress, so obviously there's something that happened to make her want to stoop below her and be with someone like you. She's high class and you're trash." Levy's head started pounding, her vision blurring again, but she ignored it and the way that Gajeel's growling seemed to become more feral as she kept talking. "I pity you. She's probably just using you and waiting for someone to find a way to take her back to the good life. You really think someone like her would want to be with you? Where is Lucy at anyway? Why isn't  _she_  here doing this? Are you so wrapped around her little finger that you jumped at the opportunity to do her bidding?" Levy paused and took a deep breath, sneering as she finished him off. "Fairy Tail is going to get you for this. They'll rip away everything you love for laying a finger on us, and then you'll be locked up for good. Your little slut of a girlfriend will be the last thing you see before the Rune Knights drag you away, and she'll forget all about you. Do you really think that if you're not in the picture she'll stick around? She'll just skip right along to the next guy, open her legs nice and wide, and do the same thing to him that she's doing to you! You're nothing, Gajeel. You're nobody, and that's all you'll ever be!"

Gajeel roared, picking up the modified chain and gripping it tightly. He did everything in his power to keep himself calm, but Levy had gotten under his skin. She'd talked shit about Lucy, about him, and he couldn't take it anymore. There was only one thing that Gajeel loved, and that was Lucy. He'd  _never_  let them take her away. He needed Lucy in his life; she was the one that made him feel like everything wasn't going to be horrible for the rest of his days. "She's  _innocent_!" he shouted, his vision turning red and the dragon inside surfacing again to help him punish the smartass. It roared loudly, pushing the sound out of Gajeel's throat and making his magic course through his body violently, surging and swelling inside of him until he felt like he would burst. "She's everything I've ever fucking needed! You're not taking her away from me!" He brought the chain down on her and her companions again and again, beating them senseless and grinning like crazy when he saw and smelled their blood spattering across the ground.  _Now I see why Bunny likes her whip so much,_  he vaguely thought,  _I could get used to this._  "You stupid fucking bitch!"

Levy somehow found it in herself to scream in agony when the newest torture device was sent flying her way, ripping into the flesh of her legs and arms and causing her body to begin shaking yet again. Jet and Droy had long been silent by that point, and she was instantly worried that her defiance would cost them their lives, and that maybe that was already the case for her two best friends.

Gajeel finally stopped, dropping the chain to the ground and stalking over to the tree. His legs elongated into poles again so he could stand at eye level with the only conscious mage, and each of his heaving, rage-filled breaths was punctuated with a venomous growl. "Looks like I'll have to make sure you learn how to keep that fucking mouth shut," he growled, ignoring anything else Levy might have tried to say to him. "I'm here to send a fucking message, and you three are just the right canvas for it. Specifically,  _you_."

"Wh-What?" Levy wheezed, one eye widening in shock while the other swelled closed from how intensely she'd been beaten. Clearly, she had overestimated the actual level of Gajeel's sanity, and apparently what she had so carelessly said to him had been what he needed to push him over the edge and into madness. Every time Jet or Droy had been hit with the whip, she'd watched in horror as they were forced to bear the consequences of her thoughtless taunting. Levy knew how to use words to her advantage, had based her whole life on it, but there was a difference between making someone stop from guilt and making them snap.

Gajeel chuckled as he lifted a clawed finger and held it in front of Levy's face, his eyes wide and crazed while he looked at her. "I think you need a proper induction into Phantom Lord, you little cunt. I'll explain it to you before I start. You're gonna get a new guild mark, and it's gonna be with you for the rest of your  _fucking_   _life_. Every time you look at yourself, you'll think of what could have been avoided if you hadn't gotten all mouthy and started spewing bullshit about my Bunny." He paused and tightly grasped Levy's chin with the other hand, keeping her head up and her eyes looking into his. "When you look in the mirror, I want you to remember tonight. Remember that Bunny Girl isn't to be trifled with, because if you fuck with her then you have to deal with me."

Levy nodded slowly, feeling tears pouring down her face and the metallic claws on the ends of Gajeel's fingertips digging into her cheeks.  _Mavis, what have I done?!_

"Now, you're the leader so you get to have a mark," Gajeel continued with a wicked grin. "It's even better since I'm giving you Bunny's guild mark, that way you know  _exactly_  who will come after you." He pulled back and brought his claw to her stomach, and started carving the Phantom Lord symbol into her flesh, making sure to gouge deep into her abdominal muscles. "You're nothing like her, you know," he chuckled, deciding to make the little bitch feel like shit.  _Maybe I can break her…_  "In fact, you two couldn't be more different. She actually looks like a woman, with curves in  _all_  the right places, and you're just a fucking tween in comparison. She smells sweet and absolutely delicious, and you smell like a dingy fucking library. She's sweet, smart, funny, and everything that's good in the world—all wrapped up in the sexiest fucking body I've ever seen with a mouth as bad as mine. Doesn't matter what she does for the guild, or how sadistic she can be. Bunny's all fucking mine, and I wouldn't change a goddamn thing about her. You, on the other hand? You're weak, Short Stack. You  _always_  fucking will be, and after tonight I won't be surprised if you give up magic altogether. It's not like it did you any fucking good, maybe you  _should_  give it up." Gajeel chuckled again, then took a moment to admire his work on Levy's stomach, watching as large rivulets of her blood seeped from the gaping Phantom mark he'd carved into her flesh.

Gajeel looked into Levy's eyes again. "By the time you wake back up, your guild is gonna be in ruins. All of your friends will be dead, I'll make fucking sure of it. You'll be stuck grieving for them, and wishing that I'd just killed you. She wants you to suffer, and I'm damn well gonna make sure you suffer forever. Fairy blood will be on  _your_  hands for what you did; you've got no one to blame but yourself for what's coming. But, that won't be for a few days…" He turned to her companions, saw that they had already passed out, but decided to make their state of consciousness last a little longer by causing some serious head trauma. First Jet, then Droy, Gajeel grabbed their heads and slammed them into the tree as hard as he could manage, grinning when he heard one of their skulls cracking under the force of the blows.

Levy whimpered and clamped her eyes shut, flinching when she heard what was happening to her friends.

Finally, Gajeel returned to Levy and leaned in to let his metallic lips brush against her ear. When she shivered and flinched, he chuckled then growled, "If I  _ever_  fucking see you three pieces of shit again, I'll kill you. It'll be quick and painless, since you're really not worth more of my time, but you won't be alive to fuck with her. Don't fucking forget, Fairy Trash. I sure as hell won't forget my threat. Understand?"

Levy nodded quickly, then let out one last scream when Gajeel's hands shot down to her thighs and he quickly yanked on her legs, ripping her femurs from her hips and tearing muscles in the process. It wasn't long before she barely registered his hand gripping her hair and a fist connecting with her face, and just before everything went black, she realized that if this was a monster, then Lucy Heartfilia herself was on a whole other level to have someone like him doing this.  _I'll never forgive them for this…_

Gajeel shifted back from his metal scales and lowered himself to the ground. He took a single step back from the tree and looked at the gloriously morbid picture Team Shadowgear made, narrowing his eyes when he felt like something was missing. Taking a quick look around, he saw the weird fur-lined hat that Jet had been wearing lying crumpled on the ground, with small splatters of blood matting portions of the fur. With a smirk, Gajeel picked it up and moved back up to set it on the High Speed mage's head, then nodded his approval.  _Gotta make sure they look their best,_  he thought. After only one last glance, Gajeel turned around and made his way back to the rooftop that he'd left his bag on. His inner dragon was purring contentedly at the thought of making Lucy happy by doing what she'd wanted to do herself, and Gajeel could see it curling up into a restful slumber since it was acknowledging that the ones responsible for their anxiety had been properly handled.

It didn't take long for Gajeel to reach the Fairy Tail guild hall, and he perched himself up on a rooftop only a block away.  _How about that?,_  he silently mused,  _Right on time I guess._  He watched as a very petite and curvaceous woman with flowing white hair and a maroon dress opened the doors of the guild. A hulking man with spiked white hair and a scar on his positively ugly mug followed closely behind her, taking a few steps away from the building and scanning the street while the last figure left the building. Master Makarov Dreyar was the final person to walk out, and Gajeel did a double-take when he saw just how small the guy was. Seriously, it looked like it was a toddler with a moustache and a ridiculous blue-and-orange striped hat.  _ **That's**_ _their guild master?!_  He wanted nothing more than to jump down there and take down the Fairies, just for some kicks and to add to the list of those that were physically suffering, but Lucy's earlier words rang through his head.  _"You'd better use tactics, Black Steel. I know you're strong as hell, definitely stronger than anyone they can throw at you, but you've gotta be smart about it too."_

She had told him repeatedly to use his head, and he had promised her that he would come back. Makarov was one of the Ten Wizard Saints, just like Master Jose. If Phantom's guild master had some serious issues with the tiny guy, and hadn't just taken him out, then clearly Gajeel would be no match for him. Gajeel knew he was strong, knew his limitations, and he also knew that if he got himself killed while he was on this mission from being a dumbass, then Lucy would probably find a way to resurrect him only to kick his ass and beat him to death… repeatedly. He waited for at least fifteen minutes after the trio had disappeared from his sight, and finally decided to make his way inside to get this mission finished and get back to the comforting warmth of Lucy's bed.

As Gajeel hopped across the roofs of the surrounding buildings, he was suddenly intensely thankful that Lucy had done such a thorough job of getting the blueprints to the place. Sure, the original ones were nice for showing those wonderfully weak spots that would collapse with hardly any effort, but the fact that Lucy had actually taken the time to draw out a brand new blueprint that held all of the modifications over the years, more weak points that were even graded based upon the destruction they would cause, and tunnels or little-known entrances to the building was just amazing.

He scaled the stone wall that surrounded the guild, choosing to stick to the shadows in case someone happened by, and then made short work of silently climbing up the side of the building until he reached the second floor. Gajeel hopped over the railing, ducking down when he heard a pair of drunks slowly making their way down the street, and once they were out of earshot he shifted his finger into a knife and crouched in front of a window. As carefully as possible, Gajeel scored the glass with his knife, making a single wide pass over it in a circle. He tapped around the edge of the score line, making sure it was loosened enough, then took a deep breath and roughly tapped the center of the cutout. Once the glass was loosened, Gajeel's hand shot through the opening and caught it before it could fall to the ground and shatter, and he carefully set it down on the floor. His hand lifted up and ran along the wooden frame of the window, searching for the small locking mechanism. Once he'd found it and unlocked the window, Gajeel slowly pulled his arm and hand back out and then opened the window and climbed inside with a grin.  _Step one's finished._

He took a quick look around the room he'd climbed into, and saw that it looked like an old, musty, unused office. There were several armchairs in one corner with white sheets over them, an antique desk in the corner and a whole wall of empty shelves that were caked with dust. Gajeel needed to get down to the first floor directly in front of the bar to get his bearings, so he took only a moment to listen for any sign of life in the building before walking to the door and opening it. There were several hallways that branched off in random directions, but Gajeel used his nose to find the quickest route down to the main guild area—all by following the scent of booze, food, and just how many human scents were permeating the air.

Gajeel chuckled when he realized just where he could get a good bit of metal to feed his magic, and it was just on the other side of the bar. He vaulted over the worn countertop and strode quickly through the single swinging door that led to the kitchen, and felt his mouth instantly watering when he saw just how much stainless steel there was back there. If the Fairies had gotten something right, it was the quality of metal they used for their kitchen. With the mental picture Gajeel had of just what he wanted to do to the guild hall to make it clearly visible to everyone in Magnolia, he figured he'd need to scarf down about a quarter of what was available to him to make sure he had enough magic to get it done with plenty leftover in case he ran into any trouble.

Never in Gajeel's life had he eaten so much metal so damn quickly, but there was just something inside of him that kept screaming he needed to hurry the hell up and finish his job. One look at the clock that was hanging over the bar helped him figure it out. The last train for the night was leaving Magnolia at 11:30, and it was almost eleven. That left him thirty minutes to finish this shit, get to the station, buy a ticket, and then get on so he could finally get back home around three. Lucy knew it would be late, but he said he'd call once he was on his way back, so Gajeel planned on doing just that once he was actually seated on the train.

He took one last look around the building, then tried to center himself and expand his magic. Gajeel frowned when he was struggling to do just what he'd imagined, to make the huge iron beams shoot out from his own body in a sick metallic explosion, and he instantly looked to his inner dragon for—fingers crossed—some damn advice.

It wasn't long before he saw the image of his own dad, what Gajeel had come to realize was his mind's manifestation of his instincts, grinning at him in the same shitty way he always did when the little Dragon Slayer was confused on what to do.

" _Channel your anger," the dragon whispered._

" _I've been doing that all goddamn day!"_

" _Why are you angry?"_

 _Gajeel internally rolled his eyes and shook his head._   _"Because they're trying to take her away. I just fucking found her, I don't want to lose her."_

" _She's not your mate," the dragon responded with a deep chuckle. "Why should it matter if they take her away?"_

" _Because I love her, you sack of scrap metal!"_   _Gajeel shouted._

" _You also love eating metal, but if someone tried to take that away you'd just find more," the dragon reasoned. "Why is she any different? Just find another one after this is finished." The dragon shrugged, its metallic scales shifting and shattering the resounding silence._

_Gajeel sneered and growled at the dragon. "I'll_ _**never** _ _find someone else!" he bellowed. "She's mine! They're trying to take what's_ _**mine** _ _!"_

_The dragon paused and cocked its head to the side, grinning at the reaction he'd received. "She's yours?" it asked slowly. "How do you know she's yours if you're not mated?"_

_Gajeel felt a slight tingling sensation in his shoulder and winced when he started to doubt himself. His inner dragon's words echoed around him, and the tingling increased until it started to burn. "It doesn't matter how I know," Gajeel finally said, furrowing his brow and sighing when the pain decreased. He looked up into the eyes of his father's visage and felt his heart swelling with resolve. "She's mine. Lucy. Is. Mine. And there's nothing that will stop me from protecting her."_

_The dragon nodded, then leaned down and blew out a single hot breath over Gajeel's face. "Then what does a dragon do when others threaten what's theirs?"_

_Gajeel smirked and said, "I already took care of that. The ones that started it have been handled."_

" _What about the rest?" the dragon asked. "Those three threatened her, but the rest have threatened much more than that."_

" _How?"_

" _They agreed to steal from you. To take your happiness, your love, and your salvation. If they succeed, then everything will be ripped away from you in the blink of an eye."_

" _No," Gajeel growled, his ire rising with each syllable of his father's words._

" _Yes," the dragon insisted. "It will happen unless you find it in yourself to make them pay. Don't just protect her, you must also protect yourself. And the boy."_

" _The brat?!" Gajeel asked incredulously. "The fuck does he have to do with anything?"_

" _All three of you need each other, dumbass," the dragon groaned, rolling its eyes and shaking its head._

" _Oi!" Gajeel shouted, "What kind of answer is that?!" Of course, the only time Gajeel needs some clear-cut guidance on what to do, his instincts have to get all fucking cryptic on him._

" _Look, you little shit stain," the dragon growled, reminding Gajeel of just what his dad had sounded like when he was getting ready to seriously lay into him for being a dick, "If you want to get this done, then do it for yourself. It's all well and fucking good to protect her, and the boy—"_

" _I'm—"_

" _SHUT IT!" the dragon roared. "You are, so just fucking deal with it. You like him, she likes him. End of fucking story! You need to get your head outta your ass and do this because they're threatening YOU! Her freedom is the means they're using, but YOU'RE the one that gets the short end of the fucking stick here."_

" _But—"_

" _Did I say I was done?" the dragon asked, growling again when Gajeel opened his mouth to start a slew of curses. "Show them what a dragon can do when they're threatened. Those three you attacked were for_ _ **her**_ _, now let them see what happens for threatening_ _ **you**_ _. Besides, if you want to mate with her, then don't you think you should give a nice wonderful display of the magic she loves so damn much?"_

" _That's what I was trying to do, ass," Gajeel grumbled petulantly, crossing his arms over his chest._

" _Yeah, well you're being retarded," the dragon countered, grinning when Gajeel growled at him. "You're not trying to throw a fucking temper tantrum to destroy their guild, you're trying to do some serious goddamn damage. So sac up and act like a fucking dragon instead of a little bitch baby!"_

" _WHAT THE FUCK IS A BITCH BABY?!" Gajeel shouted._

_The dragon laughed, lifting his front foot and pointing at Gajeel with a single claw, drawing slow circles in the air. "See what you're doing right now?" it asked with a wide grin, "_ _**That's** _ _a bitch baby."_

" _Goddamnit," Gajeel groaned. "You sound just fucking like Bunny…"_

" _Because she's smart as fuck!" the dragon shot back, laughing when Gajeel glared at it. "Now, go show your woman what it means to be a dragon when it's_ _ **not**_ _about your dick."_

" _Yeah, yeah," Gajeel grumbled, turning on his heel and walking away. "Fucking creepy asshole…"_

" _I heard that!" the dragon roared, laughing hysterically when Gajeel flinched._

Gajeel's eyes opened, instantly darting across the room to look at the clock. Most times when he delved deep within himself and started talking with his inner dragon, he was out of it for hours. That was most definitely  _not_  something he needed, and it seemed that luck was on his side. Only a few minutes had passed since he'd started trying to channel his magic and had failed, and now he knew just what he needed to do. His instincts never steered him wrong before, no matter how many damn times he'd tried to ignore them in the past. This time, he needed to stop focusing on the finer details of the situation, and look at it from the side of a dragon. Sure, he loved Lucy and he'd do anything for her, but he was the son of a dragon. Gaining Metallicana's magic came with a great deal of power, but it also came with habits and needs that he couldn't ignore.

Gajeel took a deep breath, then closed his eyes again. Instead of thinking about how they were trying to take  _Lucy_  away from him, he forced every horrible memory he'd ever had to the surface of his mind. He needed the anguish, the heartache, the sheer desperation and loneliness that he'd always been forced to endure to make these Fairies pay for trying to force it on him again. His dragon was right, Lucy's threatened freedom was just a means for them to steal everything from him. He'd finally found happiness, love, a companion, salvation from what he'd done in the past, all wrapped up in the perfect package for him to keep forever. Fairy Tail was going to take that away from him if he didn't do this.

Gajeel growled low in his throat, his face marred with a mask of sorrow while he thought of everything he'd ever lost. Everything that had been stolen from him before that he'd never been able to get back. What he had been too weak to keep for himself. His birth mother—even though he knew nothing about her—had given him away for some reason he could never know, and it was the first time he'd been cast aside, unloved and unwanted when he was pure and innocent. The few memories he actually had of his adoptive mother came up next, giving him only glimpses of a smiling face or the scent of something baking in the oven before he was blindsided by the memory of her death. He never knew how it happened or why, but in retrospect he knew that she had been killed. The woman had loved him, he knew it, but she was stolen away and he was left alone.

Gajeel hardly registered the swelling magic inside of him, how it grew and grew the longer he dwelt on the pain and suffering of his own shitty existence. Three years had gone by in a flash between her death and Metallicana saving his life, and Gajeel gritted his teeth while he ran through every single memory he had with his father. From being healed and nursed back to health to learning his magic, watching the night sky, learning everything he'd needed to know about life that the dragon could teach him. It was the first clear memory Gajeel had of love, even though neither he nor Metallicana had acted like they could even stand each other half the time. Gajeel loved his dad more than anything, and owed him everything for the gifts he'd been given.

A single garbled cry rang out in the silent guild hall, centering on the hulking, pierced Slayer whose magic was leaking from him and increasing in pressure as the seconds ticked by.  _He disappeared. He left me alone. I lost him just like everyone else._  Gajeel didn't know there were tears streaming down his face while his mind locked onto the morning he'd been abandoned, and all he could feel was the terror and rage that had consumed him back then. He hadn't known where to look or what to do, so he just stayed where he was in the hopes that his dad would come back to him.

He had lost Metallicana, and then lost himself. Gajeel had been utterly broken by the time he wandered out of the woods and stumbled on Phantom Lord. He was absolutely fucked in the head, and hardly knew which way was up, had lived a good portion of his life like that until a feisty blonde decided to stand up to him. Another heartrending sob tore out of him, his muscles tensing as he tried to contain the magic inside of himself. He wasn't nearly ready to let it out just yet. There was still more he needed to do.

" _You've been threatened," the dragon whispered, "What do you do?"_

Gajeel snarled and clenched his eyes tightly, his jaw locking up and his muscles straining. "Make them pay," he growled.

" _How will you do it?" his inner dragon asked more insistently, standing to his full height and towering inside of Gajeel's mind._

"Like… a fucking… dragon," Gajeel answered. No way in hell would he be threatened, and now Gajeel understood it. Fairy Tail had threatened  _him_ , Gajeel. Mother. Fucking. Redfox. He was a Dragon Slayer, and there would be hell to pay for their actions against him. The Fairies had to see what they had unleashed. They had to understand it, and then beg him for forgiveness. They wanted to tear out his heart, the one piece of himself that had practically been encased in lead and had taken the shape of Lucy. She was part of him as far as Gajeel was concerned, so a threat to her meant a greater threat to himself. She was his, and as such had gained his protection. He'd prove to everyone that he wasn't too weak this time. He would stop anyone and everyone from following through with their plans to take away his happiness.  _How dare they even fucking_ _ **think**_ _about it?!_

" _Good," the dragon growled with a grin. "Keep going. Let go of your control, and show everyone what a dragon is capable of."_

Gajeel would have nodded to his instincts if he could, but the well of his magic was overflowing almost painfully. This was way more power than he'd ever let out before, and he honestly had no idea that he was even capable of holding this much inside of himself. Minutes ticked by, feeling like hours as his head started pounding and sweat poured down his face, but Gajeel held onto the rage inside of himself. He let it fester and feed the torrential explosion that was about to happen. "I'll… tear out… their hearts," he growled, "Before… they… get mine." With a gasp, Gajeel's eyes shot open and he felt his magic finally snap.

Fairy Tail's guild hall was filled with a brilliant green light that shone brightly through every window before the wreckage commenced. Enormous iron beams crashed through the building, knocking down pillars, decimating whole walls, and throwing chairs and tables into pathetic splintered piles. The creaking and groaning of the wooden structure was met with a cacophonous shattering of glass when the entire bar was destroyed, and the only other sound that could be heard was the triumphant roar of a dragon that echoed through the streets of Magnolia. Debris crashed to the ground around the shaking Slayer that had fallen to his knees once his magic had shot out of himself, and Gajeel hardly registered that anything was happening.

He stared at the mangled remains of the main hall, his hair hanging limply over his eyes and plastered to his face while he panted. Dozens of iron beams were piercing through the hall, nearly everything was in shambles, and he realized that he'd done more structural damage than he'd originally planned. There was only one way to know for sure that he was finished, and that was to look at the exterior of the building. Gajeel shakily stood to his feet, and wobbled haphazardly over towards the kitchen to try and replenish some of the magic he'd used. He glanced at the clock and saw that he had only ten minutes to get to the train station, and found renewed determination filling him. His mission wouldn't be complete until he was back in Oak Town, regardless of the exterior damage to Fairy Tail. He had to be back before morning, otherwise it would be considered a failure. He rushed into the kitchen and grabbed a few metal utensils, shoving them into his bag as quickly as possible before bolting from the guild.

Gajeel's muscles were protesting every move he made, but he still ran as fast as his feet could carry him to the train station. He had only a couple of minutes to buy his ticket and board the train, and Gajeel took a single deep breath before getting it done. The clerk had looked at him with nothing but sympathy, clearly assuming that he'd been running late and worried that he would miss the last train. Gajeel ignored the standard assurances that the train wouldn't leave without him and boarded, finding mostly empty compartments. Once he was settled in a private compartment, and the train began its journey to carry him north, Gajeel took several deep breaths while he calmed his racing heart and replenished his magic. He pulled the lacrima from his pocket, wiped the sweat from his face, and then sent a small magic pulse through it to call Lucy. The sight that greeted him on the small orb caused a smile to break out across Gajeel's face, one that he didn't even try to hide. "Hey, Bunny," he said softly to the sleepy blonde that was glaring at him.

"Mm," Lucy mumbled, yawning and stretching, then rubbing her eyes. "Hey, hot stuff," she whispered, her voice thick with sleep. "Everything go okay?"

"I'm on my way home. Said I'd call," Gajeel said with a smirk. His heart melted, really and truly melted, when he saw her smile. All of the fear and anxiety he'd been harboring all day was washed away for the time being, and he was only left with a sense of comfort that her smile gave him.

Lucy glanced at her alarm clock, then frowned while her tired mind tried to do the math. "When will you be here?" she finally asked, giving up on any form of addition from her sleep-addled brain.

"Around three in the morning," Gajeel said, chuckling when Lucy pouted. "Did you guys get to bake that cake?"

Lucy smirked and nodded. "I made sure to save you a piece. I think you're gonna love it."

"Why's that?"

With a light blush on her cheeks, Lucy whispered, "I may have gotten some really yummy icing from a bakery."

Gajeel's jaw dropped, his eyes going comically wide while his body instantly sprang to life with the implications of what she'd said. "Really?" he asked slowly.

Lucy nodded again and sighed, laying her head back on the pillow. "Yep, and there's a good bit left over. So, after this shit's all finished…"

Gajeel grinned, feeling like a kid in a candy store. "Damn, I can't wait," he said softly, knowing that Ryos was sleeping right next to Lucy. "How'd he do today?"

"He did great," Lucy answered with another yawn. "Your Bunny wasn't worried at all. He was  _very_ careful."

"Good," Gajeel said. He watched Lucy for a moment, her eyes drooping while she smiled at the screen. "Get some rest, okay Bunny?"

"Okay," Lucy whispered.

"Hey, one more thing," Gajeel said, his eyebrows pushing together slightly.

"Hm?"

"I've got something important to talk to you about after this is all over," Gajeel said. "Didn't wanna bring it up beforehand, but… I'll talk with you about it later, alright?" He wanted to at least take the first step in telling Lucy about everything, and all he could manage right then was letting her know that they needed to talk about it. No way in hell was Gajeel going to lay it all out there over a lacrima, especially not when she was already half-asleep. He was anxious, even just this small admission had made it happen, but Gajeel knew it was necessary. He couldn't let himself bite her again before he came clean about what they meant. Lucy deserved that much.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes, forcing herself to focus on Gajeel. "You sure?" she asked. "You can tell me now."

Gajeel shook his head and smirked. "Nah, I'd rather do it in person. Besides, you're tired and I don't feel like having you pass out in the middle of it."

Lucy pouted and said, "I can stay awake…"

"No," Gajeel chuckled. "Get some sleep. We'll talk later."

Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes, then whispered, "Fine. I love you, Black Steel."

"Heh, I love you more, Bunny," Gajeel whispered back, watching as she smiled one last time before drifting off to sleep with the lacrima in her hand. He couldn't help but sit there for a few minutes, just keeping an eye on the beautiful blonde that he'd sworn to protect. She was so happy, so peaceful, and the thought that being with him and talking with  _him_  of all people made her feel that way was indescribable for Gajeel.

Finally, he cut off the lacrima and put it back in his pocket. There wasn't much for him to do while he was on the train, and he was still running on adrenaline from the immense amount of magic he'd let out along with the mad dash he'd made to the train station. Gajeel sighed and turned to look out the window, then grinned widely when he saw Magnolia fading into the distance. There, towering above the rest of the town, was the work he'd done on Fairy Tail. He could see it as clear as day, the iron pillars jutting out at every angle imaginable from the building. He'd attacked their hearts, just as they' threatened to do to his own. Gajeel felt justified in his actions, vindicated even. Dragons protect what's theirs, and any challengers to that simple truth would be hard-pressed to survive the repercussions. What Gajeel had done tonight was only a warning; one last chance for Fairy Tail to decide to leave them alone.

Deep down, he knew that this portion of Master Jose's plan was only the beginning for Fairy Tail. It didn't take a genius to put the pieces together. Jose wanted a covert operation to hit them where it hurt, to make the Fairies furious so they would launch an attack first. Gajeel didn't have all of the information on what was going to happen, but he was pretty damn sure that they would be seeing Fairy Tail banging down the doors of Phantom Lord in the morning. If Fairy Tail did end up coming to retaliate, then Gajeel knew he'd give the fight everything he had to keep Lucy, himself, and— _Shit, even Ryos,_  he thought—safe. If his warning to stay away went unheeded, Gajeel wouldn't hold back. It would be entirely impossible for him to do it. Hell, even his inner dragon was nodding at the train of thought he was stuck on, silently telling him that he'd have all the support he needed to do what was necessary.

* * *

Gajeel's eyes shot open when the announcement came blaring over the speakers that they were arriving in Oak Town. He'd been in that strange state of half-consciousness where he was completely aware of his surroundings, but getting all the rest he could possibly manage while sitting on this now-uncomfortable seat. Once the train had stopped, Gajeel hopped up and made quick work of getting off the train. He wanted to get to Lucy's as quickly as possible, take a shower to get rid of the dust, sweat, and blood from his mission, then lay down and take in that sugary scent of hers with his arms wrapped around her perfectly slender waist.

The walk from the train station to her apartment was usually around twenty minutes, but Gajeel was honestly just so happy to be back that he'd cut the time in half. Those ten minutes had been excruciating, knowing just how close he was to his destination but still far enough that he wasn't already with Lucy. He took the steps three at a time, and was finally facing the familiar door that led to the woman he loved. He silently opened the door, already knowing that Lucy was planning on leaving it unlocked for him when he came back, and then closed and locked it behind him. Gajeel carefully kicked off his boots, then walked over to her dresser and set his bag down on the floor. One glance at the bed had Gajeel smirking and shaking his head: Ryos was fast asleep on his side with Lucy curled around him from behind, with one arm circling around his waist and her nose nestled in his hair. It was how they'd slept the night before, except the only difference was that Gajeel wasn't already in bed lying behind Lucy and holding her.

Gajeel gave the pair one last look, then grabbed a pair of boxers from his bag and went to get that desperately needed shower. He waited until the bathroom door was closed to turn on the light, then got the water turned up to the perfect temperature. Once he was under the warm spray, Gajeel sighed in relief. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his chest, and he could only assume it was because he was back where he belonged. Lucy was safe, and sleeping—

Lucy lightly nibbled on her lower lip while she stepped into the shower behind Gajeel, instantly wrapping her arms around his narrow hips and teasing the piercings there. "Welcome home," she whispered, pressing her bare front against him and kissing just between his shoulder blades. She had woken up as soon as he walked inside, but had decided to see what he was planning on doing. It had been a relief that her face was hidden by Ryos' hair when she realized that Gajeel was watching the two of them lying on the bed, that way he couldn't see the light blush dusting across her cheeks. Once he'd walked into the bathroom, Lucy decided that she needed to make sure he was alright. The smell of dust and sweat was covering his normally metallic-cinnamon scent, and with her nose so close to him she was able to smell blood as well.

Gajeel chuckled and turned in Lucy's grasp, and sifted the fingers of one hand through her hair while he brought her lips to his. "I like the sound of that," Gajeel whispered back once their lips separated. He pressed his forehead to hers and deeply inhaled, then added, "Missed the hell out of you, Bunny."

"I missed you too, Gajeel," Lucy giggled while she brushed her nose back and forth over the piercings in his nose. "I'm glad you kept your promise."

Gajeel smirked at her and said, "I'm pretty sure you would have kicked my ass if I didn't. I've got a reputation to keep up, y'know."

"Yeah, can't have a harmless little Bunny beating up a Dragon, right?" Lucy asked, her smile brightening with each word. When Gajeel chuckled she sighed and laid her head against his chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart while her hands lightly massaged the tensed muscles running along his back. With one light kiss to the center of his chest, Lucy reached blindly behind herself and grabbed the bottle of shampoo she'd bought earlier for the times when Gajeel was staying at her place. After pouring a healthy amount into her palm, she closed the bottle and put it back on the little shelf before looking up into his curious crimson eyes. "Will you let me clean you up?" she asked innocently, even lightly nibbling her lower lip to add to the effect.

Gajeel raised his eyebrow, but nodded. He'd never had a woman clean him before. Hell, he was pretty sure no one had done it since he was a kid and didn't know how to do it himself. He smirked when Lucy tilted her head back and yanked on his hair, forcing his head lower so she could reach. Gajeel pressed his lips to hers, purring when he felt her fingers massaging his scalp and running through his hair again and again.

Lucy grinned as she pulled back from the kiss, watching each rippling muscle flex as Gajeel tilted his head back beneath the spray of warm water. His eyes slid closed to keep the soap out of them, his arms lifted as if they were in slow motion, and his hands finally sifted through his hair, sloughing off the suds. Several streams of soapy water slid down his chiseled chest, and all Lucy could do was watch with rapt attention while they dipped between his muscles, over the piercings in his hips, down his mouthwatering legs, and finally swirled down the drain. She had showered with Gajeel several times before, but it never got old to watch him like this.

Lucy's arousal wafted up through the steamy air, and nearly knocked Gajeel on his ass. He looked hungrily down at her, saw the light blush on her cheeks and how she was eying every bit of his body, but just before he could do anything she held out her hand with conditioner already poured into it. She stood up on her toes and smiled sweetly at him, making Gajeel's heart race, then smoothed her fingers through his hair again and again. "This smells like the shit I use, Bunny," Gajeel said with a smirk, watching as Lucy's blush deepened.

"You complained the last time you took a shower here, because you said you smelled like a bitch," Lucy shot back playfully. "I've showered at your place, and I remembered what brand you had, so I picked some up while Ryos and I were grocery shopping. Now you'll be all manly again."

Gajeel rolled his eyes, but still kissed the tip of her nose when Lucy pulled her hands away. He couldn't believe how much she picked up on from what he did or didn't say sometimes, or even that she would remember things like the bath products he used. Once he saw her pick up a washcloth and pour soap from yet another bottle that hadn't been here the day before, one quick whiff told him that she'd even gotten same damn soap. It was the only one he'd been able to find that didn't have an overbearing scent. Gajeel couldn't stand most men's soap, because the unscented kind just dried him out completely, and every other brand he'd tried had given him a headache from his heightened sense of smell. With a devious grin, Gajeel grabbed Lucy's waist lightly and spun so she was standing under the water.

Lucy squeaked and glared at Gajeel for only a moment before grinning and tilting her head to one side while she brought the washcloth to his chest, rubbing slow circles over him and fully enjoying the taut and powerful muscles just beneath that perfectly tanned skin of his. Down one of his pecks, brushing a little more forcefully over his nipple as she passed, towards his chiseled abs. Lucy loved every inch of Gajeel's body, and the way he felt under her hands as his muscles bunched and contracted was absolute heaven.

Gajeel had never considered that something as simple as being scrubbed down by a woman could so arousing. He was hyper-aware of every small movement Lucy made with the cloth. He'd felt her hands all over his body more times than he could count, and it had never failed to turn him on before. Now though… Now he was feeling those exact same touches she always gave him with a completely different texture, the soft fibers of the cloth becoming both softer and more bristle-like at the same time. She took her time washing his arms and hands, making sure to remove every bit of residual dust from Fairy Tail's destruction and the small spots of Team Shadowgear's blood that had spattered on him during the attack. Either Lucy had watched him very carefully during the times they'd showered together, or she was a damn mind reader when she started on the piercings in his arms. With the perfect amount of pressure, as if she'd been doing it for years, Lucy pushed down on the skin that surrounded the iron and slowly circled around it, using the tip of her thumbnail through the cloth to make sure there wasn't any excess dirt caught where his skin met the metal. He was astounded at the care she took to each seemingly tedious task—things he'd always just automatically done were suddenly brought to light—and Gajeel wondered how Lucy could just throw his whole world upside down with such simple acts of kindness like this.

Lucy paid no mind to the steady stream of water that was pouring down on her, only pausing in her quest to clean her Dragon to brush her hair off of her face and behind her ears. Gajeel hadn't stopped purring once while she washed him, and she took the same care to clean every small speck of filth from his other arm and hand before sliding back up to lightly scrub his neck. "You got pretty dirty tonight, huh?" she asked with a smirk while her cloth-covered hand slid down his chest and moved over to one hip, instantly decreasing the pressure to carefully circle around the tender piercings.

"Yeah," Gajeel answered breathily, watching the clear water cascading down each and every curve of Lucy's scrumptious body. He felt the first stirrings of his own arousal, his cock slowly twitching to life as if it wasn't going to push the issue of sex with Ryos in the next room. "Demolishing that guild from the inside made a shit-ton of dust fly up everywhere."

Lucy nodded and moved to the other hip then knelt down on the floor in front of Gajeel and started using both hands to smooth the soap over every inch of his thigh and calf, lightly massaging the muscles while working her way down to his foot. "As long as you were careful," she said, looking up to see Gajeel smirking down at her. "Did you  _have_  to do that from the inside? You could have really gotten hurt…"

Gajeel's lecherous thoughts about Lucy being on her knees in front of him died when he saw the worry in her eyes while she started cleaning his other leg. "I stood in the center of the hall, and shot everything out from where I was at," he said softly. "I wasn't close enough to any areas that would have collapsed from hitting key points, unless I took all of them down. I made you a promise, Bunny. I had every intention of keeping it, especially when it was time to take the building down. I knew that one wrong move would mean I'd be hurt, so I was careful."

Lucy's smile was a little strained, but she nodded in understanding. She hadn't wanted him to leave in the first place, for fear that he wouldn't be there to help if she needed him or that he'd get hurt and never come back. It was just par for the course of a mage's life though: taking dangerous missions that you might not return from. Even the simplest of missions could have something go horribly wrong, and hesitation could be the difference between making it out alive or… not.

Gajeel sighed and pulled Lucy to her feet, stepping under the spray with her to wash off the soap that was still on him while he gently kissed her. "I'm okay, Bunny. I'm home, safe and sound. Nothing to worry about," he whispered against her lips, feeling her sweet breath slowly puffing out and mingling with his own in the small space between them. He groaned softly when her hands slid around him and started washing his back, lowering his lips to her again and feeling her slowly relaxing with each passing second.

From his broad shoulders down to the rounded and firm cheeks of his ass, Lucy made sure to feel every solid inch of Gajeel to assure herself that he was alright, and that he'd really come back safely. She'd been afraid she was dreaming the whole time, wondering if it was just so realistic because of how much she'd missed Gajeel, and how worried she had been all day. "Any reason there was blood on you, then?" she whispered. "The guild should have been empty when you attacked…"

Gajeel nestled his nose in her hair and shook his head, letting his eyes drift closed while he relaxed with each pass over his back from her dainty hands. "Found some Fairies for you," he said.

Lucy's eyes widened and she pulled back to look into his gleaming red eyes. "You did?" she asked.

Gajeel grinned and nodded, leaning down to kiss her forehead gently. "I'll tell you the whole story in the morning. We should get some sleep."

Lucy smirked, her eyes becoming hooded with lust. "How about you tell me a little now?" she purred. Her hands slid around from his back to run over the delicious muscles of his chest and abs, dropping the washcloth to the floor with a soft, wet thud. As they moved lower, she could practically feel the atmosphere between her and Gajeel changing, and even noticed his eyes darkening while they stayed locked on hers.

"Why would I do that?" Gajeel retorted, his own hands sliding down to lightly tease her puckering nipples with his thumbs. He knew exactly what she wanted—if the scent of her strengthening arousal in the air wasn't enough, then the path of her hands and that sexy look she was giving him were dead giveaways—and there was no way in hell that Gajeel would stop his feisty little vixen from getting her way.

Lucy's laugh was husky, her voice lowering as she said, "Maybe I want to hear about what my Dragon did."

Gajeel's eyes slid closed, his sharp teeth tugging at a small portion of his lower lip when her fingers danced along the coarse hairs just above his growing arousal. "You mean what I did for my Bunny…" He hadn't considered the fact that Lucy might be even remotely turned on when he'd gotten here, since he'd pushed his own thoughts of anything even close to sex out of his mind once he'd seen she was asleep. Now that she'd made it clear that her intention was anything involving his dick, Gajeel was more than happy to please.

"Tell me," Lucy rasped as her hand closed over him and started slowly stroking along his length. "Did you make them suffer?"

Gajeel moaned softly, then turned and pressed Lucy's back against the cool tile wall of the shower while one hand dipped between her slick folds. "Yeah," he groaned, sucking in a sharp breath when her hand tightened around him.

Lucy's free hand slid up his chest, her thumb brushing back and forth over his nipple in time with his torturous fingers teasing her entrance. "How much?"

Gajeel groaned as quietly as possible, still fully aware of the fact that Ryos was passed out in the other room, and slowly filled her with two fingers. "They won't be waking up for fucking days," he growled, grinning when Lucy gasped and shivered, her sex clenching around his fingers while he worked them back and forth inside of her dripping sex.

"Wh-Who?" Lucy whimpered, leaning in and pressing hot open-mouthed kisses to his chest and up to his neck. The small, whispered curse that fell from Gajeel's lips had fire burning through Lucy, her hand moving more insistently over his shaft and squeezing the piercings with each pass over them.

Gajeel grunted, his fingers matching her quickening pace along his length while he pistoned them into her weeping core. "The ones that followed us," he groaned. He couldn't hold back any longer. He loved having any part of himself inside of Lucy's tight little sheath, but he needed more. He was addicted to her, every bit of her, and the events of the day had his inner dragon insisting that he claim her in any way he could. Even if it wasn't actually marking her as his mate, Gajeel needed to mark her in a slightly less permanent way, to ravage her just the way she liked, fill her to the brim and listen to her moan his name, and make sure she was covered in his scent. It was primal, wild, totally animalistic, but he needed to do it to calm the wave of emotions inside of himself. "Fuck, I need you." Without a second thought, Gajeel withdrew his fingers and quickly picked Lucy up, pinning her to the wall.

"God yes," Lucy whispered, tangling her hands in his hair and forcing his mouth down to hers. She tried to suppress her moans while he ground his hardened member against her sex, and the only reason they weren't already echoing through the small room was because of Gajeel's mouth over hers, his tongue dipping and swirling in just the right way to drive her insane. She whimpered when she felt his flared head prodding her entrance, and tightened her grip on his hair while Gajeel slowly filled her. "Tell me more," she moaned softly between kisses, throwing a hand over her mouth when Gajeel started nipping his way across her jaw to her ear.

Gajeel's breath danced along Lucy's skin, and he grinned darkly when he realized how hard she was trying to stay quiet. "Dirty little Bunny," he chuckled as he started to move, feeling every inch of her tight channel gripping him and trying to suck him back into the deliciously velvety passage between her legs. "You're a sick little thing, huh?"

Lucy moaned behind her hand and her head tilted to rub her cheek along his while she nodded. Lucy pulled her hand away to pant hotly into Gajeel's ear, running her tongue along the dozen or so piercings lining the cartilage and tender lobe. "Tell me how strong my Dragon is… What did you do to them?"

Gajeel's grip on her ass tightened as he pulled Lucy onto him more forcefully. Lucy knew just what to do or say to please his wilder side, stroking the beast inside of him in a sensuous caress that had his whole body roaring to life. His inner dragon grinned at the prospect of his potential mate approving of how he'd protected her, how his strength had been more than enough to deal with the threat to her freedom. Lucy wanted him to be strong, and Gajeel felt a huge sense of satisfaction that he'd make her proud of what he'd done. He pressed his lips to her ear and groaned, "Ambushed them in the street. Beat them senseless—"

Lucy moaned and rolled her hips, her eyes rolling back and her breathing getting heavier with each thrust into her core. "Oh, Gajeel," she whimpered, keeping her voice as soft as possible. "More, I… Oh, God… I need more... Ooooh…" As her moans got louder, Lucy remembered that she'd pulled her hand away from her mouth, and quickly slapped it back over to muffle her cries of pleasure. She whimpered at the slight stinging in her face from the force of her hand, but it was washed away once Gajeel started to lose control.

"Fuck," Gajeel groaned, panting heavily in Lucy's soaked hair while he picked up the pace. He pounded into her relentlessly, losing himself in the sensations that threatened to overwhelm him. Gajeel had needed Lucy all day—needed to feel her touch, her hot plump lips on his flesh, her sweet scent filling his nostrils, and her sex tightening around his cock. Between her soft skin gliding against his and the warm spray of the shower beating down on his back, the steam of the shower making the air thick with each labored breath, he found that he was quickly bounding towards his release. He wasn't even aware of the fact that he had started growling next to her ear, continuing with the description she'd asked him for. "Dragged them to the park… Mmph… Pinned 'em to a tree and—Oh, Bunny!"

Lucy placed her feet on Gajeel's calves to give herself a little more leverage, then started riding his cock as quickly as she could, blazing passion flooding her system with each pass over those piercings that massaged her walls faster and faster. She moaned loudly behind her hand, using her other arm to wrap tightly around his neck. Gajeel's hands slid over her waist to roughly palm her breasts, tweaking her nipples with just enough pressure for her body to tense up and her hand to tighten over her mouth while she screamed.

"You want more, don't you?" Gajeel groaned, his mouth itching to dip down to her neck and sink his teeth into her flesh again. He wanted to bite her so badly when she finally crested that peak, but if he did it tonight then he wouldn't be able to stop himself from marking her. "You like hearing how they suffered, Bunny?"

"Mm-hmm!" Lucy nodded fervently, her eyes going wide when Gajeel growled wildly and moved faster and harder.

"God, you're so fucking sexy." Gajeel grunted again and again, feeling Lucy's sex slowly tightening around his shaft and loving each suppressed whimper and moan he heard from beneath her hand. "Made a chain… Ngh… And beat the fuck outta them," he whispered urgently. "Carved your guild mark… On the little bitch."

"Oh shit," Lucy whimpered, her hand falling away from her mouth while she roughly sucked on the skin above his throbbing pulse in his neck. Gajeel had given up on describing what happened to the Fairies he'd attacked, and all Lucy could hear between growls were some of the most erotic and enticing words to ever pass his lips. Anything and everything that seemed to come to mind for the Dragon Slayer—from how she felt around him to what he was planning on doing to her later on when they were alone—came rushing out, and Lucy felt her skin starting that wonderful sensitization that meant a very intense climax was coming her way. Lucy's teeth grazed his flesh lightly while she moved down and pulled yet another portion of his skin into her hot mouth, moaning as quietly as possible. When his hips angled slightly, Lucy's head shot up and her mouth opened to scream out her pleasure, but a large calloused hand clamped tightly over it.

"Mmm… You're so wet, Bunny," Gajeel growled against Lucy's neck, letting his teeth nip at her just enough to tease her and grinning when her sex rippled around him. "That's it… squeeze me nice and tight…"

Lucy's eyes rolled back, her back arching and pressing her breasts against Gajeel's chest, causing her nipples to rub over him again and again. She intentionally tightened her core around him, holding it as long as possible, and gasped when Gajeel snarled wildly before putting every ounce of strength into his pistoning hips. It was almost too much for her to handle, but Lucy just held on for the ride.

"Yesss," Gajeel hissed through gritted teeth. "Bun—Ohh Lucy! God you're so fucking  _tight_ …" He felt her nails digging into his back, scoring his flesh in a mark that he'd have for days. Lucy was marking him any way she could, from hickeys to scratches. She was claiming him in a way that had his mind trying to haze over, to give into the need to make her his mate. "That's it. Mark me up, make me bleed for you… It's all yours…" His hand tightened over her mouth, roughly pushing her head back against the wall while her nails raked down his chest, digging into the flesh in long angry lines that instantly dotted with blood. He lifted his head to meet her wide eyes with his own that were filled with a feral hunger only she could quench, his lips curling into a dark and erotic grin that showcased his pointed teeth. She was it for him, he was sure of it. Lucy was his, and his actions tonight proved that he'd do anything to keep her safe. Lucy was the key to his happiness, to everything that mattered in Gajeel's life. He wouldn't let  _anyone_  take it away. "No one. Threatens. What's. Mine," he snarled, punctuating each word with a powerful thrust and a muffled scream from Lucy.

Lucy's body trembled violently as she hung on the cusp of her orgasm, his words and painfully deep plunges sending jolt after agonizingly sweet jolt of euphoria through her. The wild look in his eyes made her feel as though she was his prey, yet somehow also made her feel safe and protected. Warmth spread through her like a wildfire, consuming everything she was in an instant and leaving her feeling as though she'd been laid bare before him. Each and every insecurity or fear she'd ever had was burned away, and the charred remains of them blew past on a torrential wind that swept through her that left Lucy's head swimming. He'd done it for  _her_ , because he  _cared_  about her. She knew that Gajeel loved her, and had never doubted it when she saw the sincerity in his eyes every time he said it. She honestly hadn't thought Gajeel would go as far as he'd described, and knew he left out a lot of what happened, but some dark and deeply sadistic part of her—some unexplored portion of her psyche—squealed excitedly before letting out a seductive purr over his protectiveness. She reveled in the feeling, not-so-secretly loving just what he'd done to make her feel this way.

"Say you're mine, Bunny," Gajeel grunted, gritting his teeth to fight against his release until she said the words he so desperately wanted to hear. "Always… Oh, fuck… Say it…"

Lucy roughly ripped Gajeel's hand from her mouth and whimpered his name, dragging those deliciously battle-hardened fingers down her slender throat to her breast and begging for his touch there.

Gajeel snarled again, pushing himself harder into her tightening sheath while giving into her silent plea. The sounds of their water-slicked skin roughly slapping against each other filled the room, nearly drowning out the water that had his hair clinging to his face and down over his shoulders, but Gajeel was captivated by those delectable chocolate eyes. "Mine," he growled again, his voice going lower as he fought against the desire to bite her. "Dragons. Protect. What's. Theirs." Again, he punctuated each word with a snap of his hips, pulling her legs further apart so he could feel even more of her gripping his cock that was ready to burst. "Are you mine?"

Lucy bit her lips against the pain, feeling tears stinging her eyes as he pushed even further into her, ramming himself in hard and fast. It was confusing that she could still be ready to explode around him when Gajeel was inadvertently hurting her, but she didn't want it to stop. Lucy was truly shocked to find out that she liked what he was doing, loved it even. Craved it. She looked deeply into his eyes for only a moment, her breath catching in her throat, before she cried out, "I'm yours, Gajeel! Agh! Always."

Gajeel growled and slammed his lips over hers, swallowing her garbled cry of his name once she fell over that wonderful edge into bliss. Her spasming sex made it impossible for him to hold off any longer, and with one last powerful thrust Gajeel filled her to the brim with his hot liquid. He shuddered, his hips flexing with each violent pulse of his release, and slowly lowered them to the floor of the shower as his lips slowed over hers. He heard Lucy sniffle while she trembled against him, and Gajeel went rigid while his eyes shot open. Sure enough there were twin streams running down her cherubic face from beneath her golden lashes. "Bunny?" he panted worriedly, his brow pushing together while he lifted a hand to her cheek. "What is it?"

Lucy's breathing was still ragged, so she peeked through her lashes for only a moment to see Gajeel's concern-riddled eyes staring back at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked urgently when she didn't say anything. He watched Lucy slowly nod, but there was something else behind her glistening eyes when she looked at him. Something he couldn't identify, even though he was positive that he knew what it was somewhere deep in his mind.

"I-I'm fine," she whimpered, shifting uncomfortably when she realized that Gajeel was still nestled inside of her.

He knew that look. And once Gajeel figured out what it was, it nearly tore his heart out. "I hurt you…" he said guiltily, feeling his chest tighten when she nodded again. "No… No, no, no… I don't want to hurt you, Bunny."

Lucy winced when Gajeel quickly pulled out of her, setting her gently down on the floor of the shower. She watched his eyes widen as he looked over her, finally settling just between her legs.

He smelled it before he saw it. It wasn't much, but that small red line that mixed with the water and swirled down the drain… It was just enough for him to feel like a total failure. "I… Goddamnit…" he muttered, shaking his head and looking back up at Lucy's face with wide eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you…"

"I know," Lucy said, folding her arms across her middle and covering herself as much as possible, though she didn't even attempt to close her spread legs. She was confused by what had happened, and she honestly wasn't sure if she enjoyed it or not. If he'd hurt her during sex when she wasn't about to cum, would it have been that enjoyable? Why did she have the urge to force him to keep doing it, to have him ravage her and for his teeth to sink into her flesh? She'd felt like she needed it just to exist, and everything had gotten hazy. "I-I…"

Gajeel felt a defeated whimper crawling up his throat when Lucy hid herself from him. He'd let the beast have too much control, and he'd hurt her. He was the reason she had cried, the reason she had bled…  _I have to make it up to her,_  he thought urgently,  _I don't want her to be upset!_  "Let me clean you up," he whispered, picking up the discarded washcloth and slowly moving closer to Lucy. She nodded and sniffled, but didn't react otherwise as he came closer. That is, until he brought the cloth to the apex of her thighs.

Lucy flinched, her whole body still tender and sensitive from her climax. She would be sore later on, but the pain wasn't unbearable. Lucy had been lost in thought, trying to decipher what and how she should feel over her body's reaction to what happened at the end there.

"I'm sorry…" Gajeel whispered. "Shit, I'm so fucking sorry…"

Lucy's eyes went wide, her jaw dropping open in shock. Gajeel didn't apologize for  _anything_ , no matter how badly he fucked up. He'd admit to what he did wrong, but he didn't say he was sorry for doing it. "Y-You… apologized," she said, slightly dazed.

"Of course I apologized. I fucked up bigtime, Bunny," Gajeel shot back, looking from her eyes down to see the water that ran over her body was perfectly clear. "Why didn't you tell me I was hurting you?"

"I was confused," Lucy admitted sheepishly, curling in on herself more and grimacing while she broke away from Gajeel's penetrating gaze.

Gajeel sighed and slowly pulled her back into his lap, letting Lucy decide how she would settle herself there—which apparently was going to be by straddling him. "You've gotta tell me if I'm hurting you. I got too rough, and—"

"No," Lucy said slowly, her head tilting to one side and a slight frown on her face. "Part of me really liked it… It was painful, but…" She paused and a deep blush crept across her cheeks. "I wanted more…"

"Y-You did?"

Lucy nodded slowly, still not entirely sure why she'd felt the way she had. "Yeah. There was something just screaming out that I needed it... I don't get it, but I don't want to right now. I'll figure it out later."

Gajeel wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close. "I'm really sorry, Bunny," he whispered. "You know I don't want you to be in pain…"

"I know," Lucy said while she wrapped her arms around Gajeel and kissed him softly. "I forgive you, Gajeel. I'm okay now. I'm not bleeding anymore." She reached over and pulled the washcloth from Gajeel's hand, then carefully cleaned his limp member, smiling when he moaned softly and shivered. Once Lucy was finished, she put the cloth back in his hand and slowly brought it to her sex while she propped herself up on her knees. "Will you help me clean up?"

"Will you be alright?" Gajeel asked cautiously, "I don't wanna hurt you more..." Once he saw Lucy's soft smile, felt her lips press to his forehead, and heard her hum an affirmative, Gajeel looked down and slowly moved the cloth along her sex. He felt her tense up, and stopped once her hand shot down and covered his.

"Careful," Lucy whispered, laying her head on top of Gajeel's. "Like this." She moved his hand slowly, barely brushing against her but still cleaning her off. Once they were finished, Lucy pulled the washcloth away and leaned back just enough for the water to run over both of them to help rinse them off. "Thank you for taking care of me," she whispered with a sweet smile.

"Always," Gajeel said automatically, finally feeling himself relaxing a little when he saw that Lucy wasn't upset with him. "You know, I'm just as much yours as you are mine."

Lucy sighed and laid her head on Gajeel's shoulder. "I already knew that, silly," she said.

"I'm serious," Gajeel said, his brow pushing together while he pulled her closer and nestled his nose in her hair. "I did a fuck ton of thinking on that mission, and I told you that there's some shit we needed to talk about."

Lucy frowned, unsure of what Gajeel was trying to tell her, but nodded so he would continue.

"I don't want you to worry about it until after all of this Fairy bullshit is handled, so that's why I didn't bring it up sooner," Gajeel said, sighing and shaking his head. He felt like an idiot for even bringing anything up, especially with how tense Lucy had become once he started talking. The only problem was that he couldn't stop himself from at least telling her a little bit of what was on his mind. Normally, Gajeel was a closed-off son of a bitch, less willing to talk shit out than beat someone to a bloody pulp over things, but he had to push past his aversion to things like that when it came to a serious topic like this. "I just wanted to let you know that there's something I wanna tell you, that way… I don't know… I guess, in case something happens… At least I'll have  _tried_."

"Gajeel," Lucy whispered, lightly kissing his chest. "This sounds really important. Why don't you just tell me?"

Gajeel shook his head. "Not yet… I wanna tell you more than fucking anything, but I can't yet. I have to know that you won't get taken away from me first."

"I'm not going anywhere though," Lucy insisted, lifting her head to look into Gajeel's worried ruby orbs. "You won't lose me. No matter what happens, I'll find a way back to my Dragon."

Gajeel averted his gaze and nodded slowly, sighing when Lucy's fingers brushed through his hair and over his eyebrows. "Just wait until it's done, then I'll tell you," he said, his voice cracking slightly as his throat clogged with the fear he'd been fighting against all day. "Goddamnit…"

Lucy's eyes went wide when she watched Gajeel drop his head to her shoulder and heard him take a shaky breath. She felt warm rivulets running down her chest from where his head was at, and then felt the first stirrings of a silent sob wrack through Gajeel's perfectly cut muscles. Her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, ignoring the way his pierced brows dug into her flesh, and Lucy whispered softly into his ear, "It's alright, Gajeel. I'll wait as long as you need me to, okay?"

Gajeel nodded quickly, tightening his grip around her waist. "I don't want to fucking lose you," he whimpered. If he hadn't had a shitty day full of nothing but his own thoughts for company, along with the bullshit those two Fairies had started saying about Lucy and himself, maybe he wouldn't have been in this predicament. Considering what he'd had to deal with, and the memories that had resurfaced while he channeled his magic to attack the guild hall, Gajeel couldn't give a single flying fuck over the fact that he was crying. It was clear that Lucy had figured out what was happening, but she wasn't even mentioning it, and damn if that didn't just make him want to bawl like a fucking baby to get it out of his system. She knew what he needed right then, and she was more than willing to give it to him. "I can't… It'd fucking kill me if…"

"Shh," Lucy whispered. "It's okay."

"Bunny," Gajeel said, the single word trembling while he held her tightly to him. "I lose everyone I care about. I can't tell you and then have you ripped away from me… I need you… I need you so goddamn much. You make everything alright for me… I-I don't…"

"You don't, what?" Lucy asked gently.

"I d-don't feel like a total fuck-up with you… I-I…" Gajeel cried, clenching his eyes and giving himself over to the desperation to keep Lucy in his life. "Fuck, Bunny. P-Please don't go, okay? Please… Please… I can't fucking lose you, too. I w-won't…"

Lucy winced when Gajeel's grip around her tightened while he buried his face in her neck and hair, his open sobs quieted only slightly. She listened to his nearly incoherent rambling for as long as he needed, the same broken pleas for her to stay. It broke her heart to hear him this way. It was the exact opposite of the Gajeel she'd met four months before, but she honestly preferred being able to see and hear what he really thought and felt.

"Don't leave me, Bunny," Gajeel whimpered, knowing full-well just what it would sound like. Honestly, he couldn't give a shit less what it sounded like, because he meant every word of it. "P-Please… Promise me…"

"Gajeel," Lucy whispered gently, brushing his hair behind his ear with wide and astonished eyes. He had asked her not to leave or disappear before, but never not to leave  _him_. Asking her not to leave  _him_ brought about a whole series of questions, but she had an inkling that it was closely tied with what he wanted to tell her about later on. "I… I don't know what to say…"

Gajeel flinched as though he'd been struck with a branding iron straight through his heart, but he still held onto her. He couldn't let her go, no matter how much he felt as though he should just push her away from him. He needed her. It was as simple as that.

"Why would you want me to promise something like that?" Lucy asked, still stroking Gajeel's hair and frowning at how he seemed to be closing himself off from her. "You can tell me. It's okay."

"I l-love you," Gajeel said desperately, "Please, Bunny… I'll get on my knees and fucking b-beg if I have to…" He felt like he was riding along a single water molecule as it swirled around and around the drain of the shower. He was dizzy, couldn't breathe, and felt like his world was shattering right in front of him. "I didn't mean to hurt you before. If… If you're upset, y-you can tell me. I'll fix it, I swear… Just don't go… Please… D-Don't leave me alone, Bunny…"

"Gajeel, what happened on your mission?" Lucy asked softly. "You never talk like this."

Gajeel shook his head and whimpered at just the thought of it. Who would have thought that he, Black Steel Gajeel, would be doing something as pathetic as this? Crying all over the woman he loved after fucking her brains out, all because he was scared of losing her. Scared didn't even seem to cover the emotions roiling inside of him. He was absolutely terrified. He had a tendency to fuck up anything he touched, and he'd only proven it tonight when he hurt her. He hadn't meant to do it, but it had happened nevertheless, and now… Now he was stuck with the idea of her leaving him once she found out about the bites. He'd been less frightened to tell her that he loved her, but he'd used a bite to actually admit it. He couldn't even get away with the same crutch this time…

"I can't answer you until you tell me," Lucy insisted. "I'm right here, and I'll listen. You have to tell me."

"That stupid bitch," Gajeel ground out through clenched teeth. "And one of the guys. They were talking shit about you; about us. I fucking lost it both times. He didn't say much before I shut him up, but  _her_ … What she said…" Gajeel stopped and growled, though his tears still streamed down his face. "It's like she got right into my fucking head and threw every single goddamn thing I've been worried about right in my face."

Lucy's face hardened as she quietly asked, "What did she say?"

Gajeel's eyes shot open and he lifted his head to look at Lucy. Her voice had gone from sweet and soothing to venomous, and there was even a slight growl behind those four little words that made Gajeel oddly aroused. "She said I'm trash; that I'm nobody, and it's all I'll ever be. That there's something wrong with you for 'stooping so low' to be with me. Once I'm gone, you'll just jump to the next guy and get him wrapped around your finger like I am. You'll forget about me if we're separated. She said you were just waiting for someone to take you back to the good life… That I'm… nothing."

Lucy was bristling with rage, but she forced it just beneath the surface and brought her hands up to cup Gajeel's face. She sighed while she wiped his tears away, then shook her head slowly. "None of that's true, Gajeel. You know that," she said.

"Bunny, do you have any fucking idea how many times I've thought you'd get tired of my bullshit and fucking leave? Like tonight when I hurt you…" Gajeel asked with a deepening frown. "I've always felt like just what she called me. That I'm nobody, or trash. Like I'm not important enough for anyone to stick around and give me a goddamn chance to prove I'm not like that. I'm a bastard, and you deserve a hell of a lot more than I can give you." Gajeel roughly ran a hand over his face, then reached back and turned off the water that had long gone cold. "I need you," he whispered, turning to look away from her. He couldn't look into her eyes while he was like this. "I had to think about my past while I was attacking the guild. It was the only way to get my magic to do what I needed it to. Everyone I've lost, how alone I've always been, finding you, how fucking scared I am of losing you. All of it."

"Why?"

"Because they threatened to steal from me," Gajeel growled, his eyes narrowing and his lip curling up derisively. "They want to take my happiness away. It's selfish, but I'm a selfish motherfucker. You don't threaten a dragon—Slayer or otherwise…"

"It sounds like you've had a really shitty day," Lucy sighed softly, pulling Gajeel's head back against her shoulder and nuzzling his hair.

"Shitty doesn't even begin to describe it," Gajeel grumbled. "Fucking crying like a baby all over you just adds onto it…"

"It's fine," Lucy whispered. "I've done the same to you, remember? I seem to recall someone telling me that a few tears are perfectly fine after a long, shitty day."

Gajeel nodded, sniffling slightly while his fingers started tracing light, random patterns along Lucy's bare back. "You're everything I've ever needed, Bunny. I mean it… I'm not alone now. You actually make me feel like I belong somewhere. Like I'm worth  _something_."

"I promise," Lucy finally said, smiling when Gajeel's breathing stuttered. "I'll never leave you, Gajeel. I need you just as much as you need me, and that's never gonna change. You  _are_  worth something. You're  _everything_  to me. I'm sorry I didn't answer sooner… I just didn't understand why you were suddenly so worried about it. I get it now, though. I won't leave you. You have my word."

Gajeel shuddered and brought his lips to Lucy's neck again and again. "Thank you," he whispered. "I wish I could just tell you about that other stuff now… You should have known from the beginning."

"Why don't you tell me what it's about in general, then?" Lucy asked. "Maybe it'll help."

Gajeel sighed, running his nose along the bite mark that was still covered with a scab on her shoulder. "Us."

"Well, what about us?" Lucy asked carefully. "I kind of already figured that much out."

Gajeel frowned, sniffling as quietly as possible to minimize the reality of his little breakdown. He honestly wanted to lay it all out there, to tell Lucy everything right then, but he couldn't get the words out. He was scared as hell to do it with the threat hanging over their heads like a damn guillotine, just waiting for the right moment to come down and slice right through everything they had together. "I… I can't say it yet," he whispered guiltily. "I will though… After this shit's all done, I will…" It wasn't fair to keep Lucy in the dark on this shit, and it was Gajeel's fault that she didn't already know about it to begin with.  _I should have fucking told her sooner…_

"Okay. It's something about us. I can live with that until this whole Fairy Tail thing is done." Lucy smiled softly. "You won't lose me, you know," she added, "You've got my heart all wrapped up and tucked away in that damn hoard of yours. Even if I tried to leave, I'd have to come back for my heart…"

"You'll never get it back," Gajeel whispered.

"Guess I'd have to fight you for it, huh?" Lucy asked, giggling when Gajeel nodded. "It's hopeless then. I can't beat a dragon... Especially not one that's as strong as you are. I'm just a little Bunny."

Gajeel sniffled and then smirked before he gently kissed her shoulder. "But you're  _my_  little Bunny. I'd give it to you if you really wanted it back, I guess… You're the only one that could take it."

"Nope," Lucy chirped. "I don't  _ever_  want it back. My heart's all yours, Gajeel. Until the end of time."

Gajeel grinned and lightly nipped at Lucy's shoulder, hope flaring in his chest that maybe it wouldn't be as terrifying to tell her about mating after all. He was still going to wait, but at least her statement had eased his mind on the matter of her agreeing to it. "Damn, way to make a guy feel good," he chuckled.

"It's my job," Lucy giggled, lifting Gajeel's head from her shoulder and smiling sweetly at the man she'd fallen for. She saw the signs of the tears he'd shed—the slight puffiness of his eyes and how they were still glistening slightly—but all Lucy did was bring her thumbs to his cheeks and wipe away any excess tears before she brought her lips to his in a chaste kiss. "Now, let's get to bed. You need some serious sleep, and I think a good dose of Bunny cuddles will do wonders to make you feel better."

Gajeel chuckled again and nodded, standing up slowly and then helping Lucy to her feet. Gajeel was beyond exhausted by the time they stepped out of the shower and started drying off, and it seemed as though the day was finally catching up to him completely.

Lucy sighed happily once they were dressed, and Gajeel slid his arms around her waist from behind. She leaned her head back on his chest and looked at their reflection in the mirror only to meet Gajeel's softened eyes looking back at her. "We really make a pretty strange looking couple, huh?" she mused with a smirk.

"If we were a couple, then yeah," Gajeel said with a smirk of his own. "Tiny, innocent-looking blonde…"

"And a big, scary guy," Lucy finished with a light laugh, her fingers lightly tracing the piercings in his forearms. Her eyes slid closed for a moment when Gajeel's chest started rumbling in that wonderfully soothing purr she loved to hear, but it all disappeared when he tensed behind her.

Gajeel frowned as he listened intently to the room just beyond the bathroom door. Ryos was the only one out there, but he was tossing and turning like crazy, whimpering just a little. "Bunny," Gajeel whispered, "Go check on the br—"

"AHHHHHHHH!"

Lucy's eyes shot open when the single loud shriek echoed through her small apartment. She tore herself from Gajeel's embrace and whipped the bathroom door open a little too forcefully, then rushed over to the bed to see Ryos sitting up and staring wide-eyed around the room. "Ryos?" she asked worriedly, running her hands over his trembling arms again and again while she knelt on the bed, "What's wrong?"

Ryos panted heavily, his eyes darting back and forth across the room. He noticed how much light was actually filling the room, and a quick glance over to the source showed Gajeel leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, watching him with a single raised eyebrow and an otherwise blank face.

"Come on, sweetie," Lucy whispered gently, bringing her hands to his face and forcing him to meet her gaze. "Talk to me."

Ryos whimpered again and lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Lucy's waist and squeezing his eyes shut. "You were gone," he whispered. "You left, and I couldn't find you… Then I woke up and you weren't here…"

Lucy turned to give Gajeel a sad smile. It seemed the fear of losing someone they cared about was something that these two Slayers had in common. "I was just in the bathroom, Ryos," she said tenderly, running her fingers through his hair. "Gajeel got back a little while ago."

Ryos nodded, already having figured out what she and Gajeel had been doing based on how she smelled, but he still clung to her like his life depended on it.

Gajeel sighed and turned off the light to the bathroom, wincing when he heard Ryos whimper again, then made his way over to his side of the bed. "Come on, let's get some rest," he said softly.

Lucy nodded, then kissed the top of Ryos' head. "Gajeel's right. We need to get back to sleep."

"I don't think I can," Ryos whispered, his voice shaking from the fear still coursing through him.

"Sure you can," Lucy said with a warm smile. "I'll help you. But let's get comfy, okay?"

Ryos nodded and slowly pulled his arms from around Lucy's waist. He sat completely still while she crawled to the space in the center of the bed, the same place she'd slept the night before so she would be between himself and Gajeel. Once she was settled, he laid down with his back facing her and sighed while he forced his eyes closed.

Lucy giggled and said, "Roll over, Ryos. I can't help you sleep like that."

"Huh?" Ryos asked.

Gajeel smirked and lightly kissed Lucy's shoulder before he nuzzled her hair affectionately. "She's gonna hold you, brat," he said. "Just do what Bunny says."

Ryos frowned, but rolled over nonetheless. He lifted his head up slightly when Lucy's arm slid under the pillow he was using, then sighed when both of her arms wrapped around him protectively. Finally, after seeing the sweet, encouraging smile from the blonde, Ryos snuggled closer and laid his head just under her collar bone while he wrapped an arm around her waist, unintentionally draping his hand over Gajeel's side in the process.

"Close your eyes," Lucy whispered. She felt Ryos nod slowly, then took a deep breath and smiled while her own eyes closed and she thought about one of the few memories she had of her mother. She remembered just what her mom used to do when Lucy had a bad dream, every syllable of the song she used to sing to the scared little girl to help lull her back to sleep. Lucy lifted a hand to Ryos' head and brushed her fingers through his hair again and again while she started humming softly to him.

_Lay by my side, and we'll sail away.  
_ _Off to the shores of another day.  
_ _All set to go once I hear you say.  
_ _Goodnight, my friend, until the morning._

Ryos smiled when he heard Lucy's lilting voice ringing softly through the air. He was perfectly comfortable, the fear of her really being gone dissipating with each sweet note that passed her lips. He couldn't remember anyone ever having sung him a lullaby before, not even Skiadrum, but it was definitely something he loved. It didn't matter how old he was, since Ryos knew that usually lullabies were for little kids. He loved it because Lucy was doing it just for him.

_Up we will float as we close our eyes.  
_ _Stars all around us like fireflies.  
_ _Just me and you drifting through the skies.  
_ _Goodnight, my friend._

Gajeel had never actually heard Lucy sing before that night. He'd heard her humming softly from time to time, but she never actually let any lyrics pass her lips when anyone was around. He nestled closer to her and smiled softly, realizing just how soothing her beautiful voice was while she sang. He could hear her smiling while he wrapped his arm around both her and Ryos, and felt her fingers lace gently with his around the boy's back. His inner dragon purred contentedly, and Gajeel could see it curling up into a sleepy ball, a matching smile on its face as its eyes closed.

_Not a thought.  
_ _Not a care.  
_ _Resting safe and sound.  
_ _With each other there.  
_ _And so we'll rock on a nighttime ride.  
_ _Cozy and warm on the rolling tide.  
_ _Till we arrive on the morning side.  
_ _Our journey's end._

Lucy's heart melted when she heard and felt both of her Slayers purring happily while they held onto her. Ryos' was much lighter and more even as he fell asleep, and it was then that she realized it must be something that all Dragon Slayers do when they're happy. The fact that Gajeel had even joined in on the touching moment—wrapping his arm around both her and Ryos, purring, and nestling his nose in her hair while occasionally giving her a light kiss—all had Lucy at a loss for words aside from the lyrics of the lullaby she was singing. It hadn't taken long for Ryos to find his way into her heart, and Lucy didn't even question why she already felt like he was her little brother. She just wanted to take care of the young boy in any way she could, since he really was a sweetheart.

_Goodnight.  
_ _Sleep tight.  
_ _We're gonna be alright.  
_ _Goodnight, my friend._

Once she was finished, Lucy pressed a soft kiss to the inky black hair of the boy in her arms and softly whispered, "Sweet dreams, Ryos."

"He's pretty damn lucky, you know that?" Gajeel whispered once Lucy laid her head back down.

"Why do you say that?"

Gajeel nuzzled her hair again and again, a soft smile on his face that wouldn't go away as he said, "He's got you to help him out."

"You're here too," Lucy retorted, blushing slightly.

"Not the same, Bunny," Gajeel said. "I can't do what you just did for him."

"My mom used to sing that song to me when I had a bad dream," Lucy whispered. "I guess I just figured it would help him like it did for me."

"Looks like it did."

"Well, you're pretty lucky yourself, Black Steel," Lucy said softly, turning her head and smiling when Gajeel leaned over to kiss her gently before he snuggled closer to her. "You've got both me and Ryos now."

Gajeel sighed and nodded. "Guess you're right," he whispered, "Let's get some shut eye, Bunny. Long day tomorrow."

"I love you, Gajeel," Lucy whispered. "Sweet dreams."

"Love you too, Lucy," Gajeel said with a grin, listening to Lucy's breath catch in her throat for a second before her grip on his hand tightened slightly. "Sweet dreams."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like to hear the song Lucy sings to Ryos, it's "Goodnight, My Friend" from the show _Galavant_ (youtube.com/watch?v=Jx5_DGo_sjI)


	13. Arc 1: A Threat to Family

 

Lucy smiled softly when the door to the bathroom closed behind Ryos, and she waited for only a moment before sitting down on the bed next to the still-sleeping Iron Slayer whose face was buried in her pillows. She opened the drawer on her nightstand and pulled out a small bottle of oil that Cancer had given her to help soothe sore muscles, and poured a large amount into her hand before closing the bottle and setting it back on the nightstand. While she rubbed her hands together to warm the oil up, Lucy crawled across the bed on her knees and carefully straddled Gajeel's lower back. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead," she said with a smile, bringing her hands down to the broad expanse of his bare shoulders and massaging them in slow circles.

"Mmm," Gajeel hummed sleepily, moving one hand up to brush his hair away from his back before letting it flop down onto the bed. "Morning to you too, Bunny."

Lucy giggled and shook her head at just how lazy her dragon could be in the morning. She couldn't really blame Gajeel for being tired since he'd had a real shit of a day during his mission, and that was what had given Lucy the idea to try and help the muscles she knew were tensed and knotted over one another get a little relief.

"How are you feeling?" he mumbled, humming his approval at how Lucy seemed to know exactly where he needed her hands to be and how much pressure to use.

"I'm fine," Lucy said softly. "I was a little sore when I woke up, but it went away."

Gajeel frowned and nodded slowly when he remembered just  _why_  Lucy was in pain to begin with. He heard the shower turn on just as he was about to ask where Ryos was at—since Lucy was sitting on him in what he could tell was still the skimpy clothing she called pajamas that consisted of a tank top and shorts.

"No frowning today, do you hear me?" Lucy said softly, smirking when she heard the shower going. She hopped off of Gajeel and washed her hands in the kitchen, then opened her refrigerator and got what she needed before walking back into the main room. She came back to see that Gajeel had sat up slowly on the bed and was facing away from her, so Lucy went back to the bed and moved to kneel behind the exhausted Slayer. "Close your eyes," she whispered slyly.

"Beat you to the punch," Gajeel mumbled. "I'm a fucking zombie right now…"

Lucy giggled and rolled her eyes, then leaned forward and pressed her chest to his back. She kissed his ear only once, then whispered, "Open your mouth. Don't ask questions, just do it."

Gajeel sighed and let his jaw drop open, far too tired to even think about arguing with the blonde this early in the morning—even though he didn't have a clue what time it actually was. He was instantly rewarded for his compliance by having Lucy's forearm pressed to his lips, her pulse dancing right against his teeth. He wanted to pull back and yell at her to chill the hell out, since he was ready to pass out again, but when Gajeel's tongue flicked out just slightly, he was instantly confused and intrigued by what he found. There on Lucy's arm was the second sweetest thing he'd ever tasted in his life, a cheap imitation of the scent that came from the gorgeous blonde herself.

"Thought you might want something to brighten up your day a little," Lucy whispered sweetly, nibbling on her lip when Gajeel took his time to lick up every trace of the icing she'd put on her arm. She heard a soft groan spill from him when his tongue brushed across her arm before lightly sucked the flesh into his mouth.

"No doubt about it, Bunny," Gajeel said as he ran his nose back and forth over her arm, "You  _definitely_ taste better than icing. It might smell like you, but you're way better." Gajeel tiredly smiled when Lucy giggled and wrapped both of her arms around his shoulders and pulled him back towards her. He sighed and let himself relax while laying his head on her shoulder, keeping his eyes closed and just enjoying the sweet serenity that was his morning. It seemed that Lucy just had a way of easing him into the day—which was saying something since he absolutely abhorred waking up—and he couldn't get enough.

"How about you lay down with me?" Lucy asked, running her nose along Gajeel's cheek and grinning when she saw just how relaxed he was.

"I thought you wanted me to wake up."

Lucy smiled and kissed Gajeel's jaw, then pulled away and waited for him to lie back down on the bed. "You're getting spoiled for right now," she said, "Come on, don't make me change my mind."

Gajeel rolled his eyes behind his closed eyelids and laid himself back down on the bed, rolling over and quickly tucking Lucy right up against him. After a moment, he nestled his nose in her hair and settled the blanket back over the both of them. "Why's that?" he mumbled.

"Because you made your Bunny  _extremely_  happy yesterday," Lucy said with a wide grin, watching as a subdued, but no less smug, grin crept onto Gajeel's face. She slid her hands to his back again and started back up on the massage that she'd so abruptly stopped earlier. "You had a horrible day, but you were out there protecting me. The least I can do is to take care of you, and make you just as happy as you've made me."

"You don't have to do a damn thing," Gajeel mumbled. "It's my job to keep my little Bunny happy and safe. Those Fairies just better take that damn warning serious—"

"Shh," Lucy whispered, lightly kissing Gajeel's chest while spreading her fingers and sliding from the base of his spine up towards his neck. "If it's your job to keep me safe and happy, then it's my job to do the same thing for you."

"You plan on keeping me safe from something?" Gajeel teased as he moved one hand to playfully poke at her slender bicep.

"I'll do whatever I need to, Gajeel," Lucy said seriously. She felt Gajeel stiffen slightly and watched as his eyes creaked open. "I might not be able to take down a building like you, but I'll still protect you."

"Why?" Gajeel asked slowly. His mind was warring with itself over what she'd said. The dragon inside was absolutely ecstatic that Lucy wanted to protect him in any capacity, especially because of what those words meant when it came to what Metallicana had taught him. His head was stuck between wanting to be offended that she thought she'd be able to protect him from something that he wasn't capable of handling on his own, and rationalizing that the dragon needed to calm the fuck down since Lucy didn't know just how much weight her words held for a Slayer. Gajeel knew that he was a human with the added instincts of a dragon from gaining his magic, but more often than not, he tended to react as a dragon would—just like his father taught him to do.

"Why wouldn't I?" Lucy asked softly, kissing his chest again while her hands started massaging from his shoulders to his neck and back. "I love you, silly. I want you to be happy, just like you want me to be happy. You might be physically stronger than me, but I can still protect you from everything else. No one gets to upset you without dealing with me."

"Bunny," Gajeel whispered, closing his eyes again so she couldn't see just what her words had done to him. They'd unraveled him right then and there. He could still rationalize that she didn't know what those words would really mean to him, but the other part that was trying to piss him off over the whole thing died out in an instant. He knew for a fact that the one thing she would always be able to protect better than himself was the pathetic little pumping bit of muscle that he called a heart. Sure, his physical heart was strong and resilient, but his emotions? His ability to love, to feel anything aside from anger? The compassion he'd long since abandoned? Lucy wasn't just protecting what little Gajeel had of the emotions he'd locked away so long ago; she was strengthening them each and every day.

Lucy smiled and brushed her nose back and forth along Gajeel's chest. "You're just as much mine as I am yours, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, for as long as we want," Gajeel said, lightly squeezing her in his embrace and kissing the golden locks that always reminded him of summer.

"Well, Bunnies protect what's theirs too, y'know," Lucy whispered as she wrapped her arms around his waist and listened to Gajeel chuckle. "Those Fairies you found are lucky I wasn't there, otherwise they wouldn't have survived."

"Enough about that right now," Gajeel whispered gently. "I don't wanna think about those pieces of shit this early in the morning."

Lucy nodded her understanding and they laid in a comfortable silence for several minutes, with Gajeel nuzzling her hair and Lucy's hands lightly trailing over his back again. Finally, when she felt Gajeel jolt just a little as if he was struggling to stay awake, she whispered, "You're exhausted, so get some more rest. Ryos said he'll just read for a while until it's time to get going for the day."

"Still don't know why you woke me up just to tell me to go to sleep…"

Lucy giggled and kissed Gajeel's chest as she said, "I just wanted to give you a massage before I got started on breakfast, but you still look exhausted..."

"I haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday, Bunny," Gajeel muttered, "And I had just enough metal to finish the job and get some energy back afterwards. Just tired and sore… Well, I  _was_  sore before you decided to use those magical fucking hands of yours on my back."

Lucy frowned while she kept massaging Gajeel's back, slowly working her way down and double-checking to make sure she hadn't missed a single knot. "What do you mean you haven't eaten?" she asked.

Gajeel sighed and said, "After I got off the lacrima with you, I ended up zoning out until it was almost ten. By the time I got back home I was too tired to even think about eating." He paused and chuckled, then whispered, "Someone helped to wake me up a bit with their sweet ass though."

Lucy blushed and kissed Gajeel's collar bone. "You're welcome, then?"

"Definitely," Gajeel sighed contentedly, tightening his hold on Lucy for a moment while pressing his lips to her hair. "I really needed to get that shit off my chest last night, Bunny… Thanks for that."

"Any time, Black Steel," Lucy whispered. "You know that you can tell me anything. You're not alone anymore, so you don't have to keep it all bottled up like that ever again."

"Not making any promises on that one," Gajeel said with a lazy smirk. "I've been doing that shit for years." He did everything he could to keep Lucy from seeing just how much of a sap he was turning into over the things she said. His earlier thoughts that she could protect his heart only seemed to be bolstered just then.  _I'm not alone anymore,_  he thought in wonder.

When Gajeel yawned, Lucy pulled her hands back around to sit between the two of them, then slid herself up until her back was resting against the headboard.

Gajeel slowly lifted his head and gave Lucy a tired and questioning look, and grinned when her hand put a slight bit of pressure against the back of his head to silently insist that he get comfortable on her. He hummed happily while he laid his head down on her stomach, then pulled back just a bit to push her shirt up and bare the tanned flesh and perfect iron piercing he'd given her. Gajeel knew he would never get tired of seeing the little dragon piercing that Lucy wore so proudly, and he was more than willing to take advantage of any reason to feel her supple and decadent skin.

Lucy blushed while she watched Gajeel to see what he would do. She had expected him to comment on her insistence that he use her as a pillow the same way she usually did with him, but he was either indifferent towards the subject or too tired to argue. What she hadn't expected was for him to pull her shirt up until it was sitting just under her breasts. His nose brushed lightly over her bare stomach, and she barely caught the soft smile on his lips just before he kissed the iron dragon piercing in her navel. Once his head was settled on her stomach, with his slow breathing puffing out across her skin, Lucy smiled down at his wild black hair and started to run her fingers through it. "Take all the time you need," she whispered, "I'll always be here for you."

"Mmm… Bunny," Gajeel purred, one hand lightly sliding over her hip and up to her ribs as he started drifting slowly back into unconsciousness. He loved how she felt like this, and it was oddly relaxing to just take that predefined masculine role and throw it out the window while he let the petite blonde hold him. Gajeel had never really cared for those 'roles' that humanity had set for the sexes, since Metallicana taught him that female dragons were actually a whole hell of a lot scarier than males when angered enough. Sure, Lucy was always the one that laid on him, curling around him and fitting just perfectly in his embrace, but Gajeel suddenly found that lying on her was wonderful. With Lucy's scent filling his nostrils, her short nails just barely scratching his scalp while her fingers sifted through his hair, and the way her arms felt around him Gajeel actually drifted off to sleep all wrapped up in the most comforting and warm embrace he could ever remember experiencing.

"Yes, Gajeel?" Lucy whispered while she brought one hand down from his hair and placed it over his much larger one on her ribs. She stifled a giggle when all she heard in response was his deep, even breathing along with the rumbling purr that escaped him on every exhale. They stayed like that for several long minutes before Gajeel shifted slightly and threw his leg over both of hers, then nuzzled her stomach in his sleep.

"Minnne…"

Lucy had never heard Gajeel talk in his sleep, but she wasn't usually awake while he was still passed out. There had been a few times that she'd gotten up first, but he was almost always awake within a few minutes. She did know that it was common for people to talk in their sleep when they've been sleep-deprived, since they slip into a deeper state of unconsciousness than normal while their body tries to rejuvenate. Lucy never paused in running her fingers through his hair, but she was very curious to see what else he might say.

"Love… —ucy…" Gajeel sighed and nestled closer to the comforting warmth that surrounded him. "Creepy fucker… Stop talking like my Bunny."

She didn't have to wait long for him to start talking again, but it was definitely not what she'd expected. She'd thought it was absolutely precious that Gajeel was dreaming about her at first, and even when she thought she heard him mumbling that he loved her.  _What the hell is he dreaming about? And who is talking like me in his dream?_

Gajeel pouted and grumbled for a few minutes before he started speaking again. "Bite, bite, bite… Do what I fucking want, asshole…"

Lucy bit her lips and closed her eyes, inadvertently stopping her hand from running through Gajeel's hair while she held her laughter back. Even in his sleep, Gajeel couldn't stop cursing. A couple more minutes went by in silence, with Gajeel only snuffling occasionally, and Lucy heard the shower turn off just before a small whimper crept out of the large Slayer that was wrapped around her.

"Don't want her to go… Gotta be careful though."

"I won't go anywhere. Why do you have to be careful, Gajeel?" Lucy whispered as she started running her free hand through Gajeel's hair again. She'd read some time back that people occasionally responded to outside voices while they were sleeptalking, so Lucy was curious to see if it would work with Gajeel.

"Not safe… Don't wanna leave a mark…"

"What mark?" Lucy asked, smiling softly at Ryos when he walked out of the bathroom in a pair of pants and a tank top while tiredly rubbing his eyes. It seemed that neither of her Slayers were really ready to be out of bed just yet. Her suspicions were only confirmed when Ryos crawled back under the covers silently and curled up on Lucy's other side, tucking his head against her ribs and Gajeel's hand and closing his eyes.

"Bite, bite, bite… Gotta talk to be a mate…" Gajeel mumbled. "Iron asshole…"

Ryos' eyes shot open and he slowly lifted his head to stare at Gajeel. The Iron Slayer was passed out while he was curled around Lucy, but he was talking almost completely normally. Well, he sounded normal, but what he was saying clearly wasn't making any sense to Lucy.

"Stop pointing that claw at me… Gonna stab you in the eye if you keep that shit up…" Gajeel silently snarled in his sleep, but once Lucy's fingers lightly massaged the furrow in his brow, he sighed and nuzzled her stomach again.

Lucy smiled down at Ryos and wrapped her arm around him when Gajeel started purring again. "Don't pay him any mind, Ryos," she whispered. "He's just really tired from yesterday." She felt Gajeel shift again, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise when his arm wrapped around Ryos as well.

"All mine…"

Lucy blushed and whispered, "All yours, Gajeel."

Ryos blinked repeatedly and looked up at Lucy, then whispered, "Do you really mean that?"

"Mean what?"

"That you're all his… You mean it?"

Lucy saw the small hopeful smile on the young boy's face, and nodded. "I do, Ryos. I can't imagine not having him in my life. No matter what happens…" Lucy smiled softly and looked down at Gajeel's serene and completely relaxed face. "I'll always find my way back to him."

"You really love him, huh?" Ryos asked while he nuzzled Lucy's side.

"With all my heart," Lucy answered. She looked up at the clock and grimaced when she realized it was only seven in the morning.  _No wonder Gajeel was so tired. He hardly slept…_  "Get some sleep, okay? We'll all get up in a couple hours."

"You won't be comfortable like that," Ryos said, lifting his head again to look up at Lucy's smiling face. "I can help you move Gajeel so you can get comfortable, too…"

"I'll be fine, silly. I'll just watch over my Slayers while they get some much needed rest," Lucy whispered, brushing her hand through Ryos' hair and pulling him back down to where he'd been laying before. "I'm not tired in the slightest. This is the time I usually get up anyway."

' _My Slayers',_  Ryos thought happily. Lucy was staking a claim on Gajeel, which was entirely normal considering the relationship that she had with him, but she'd even included Ryos in it. In a dragon's eyes, Lucy saying something like that meant that she was essentially placing her protection over the two Slayers with her; granted, Gajeel didn't need her to protect him from anything, but it was still there. A statement that was let out into the universe as a warning to anyone that might try to harm either Gajeel or Ryos; a warning that screamed of hours of relentless pain from the petite blonde. Dragons only claimed certain individuals as theirs: their family. "Hey, Lucy?" Ryos whispered as he nuzzled her side affectionately.

"Yes?"

"If Gajeel asked you to be with him forever, would you?" he asked timidly, hoping he hadn't overstepped any boundaries.

Lucy blushed, her eyes going wide while she repeatedly blinked and tried to find an answer. On the one hand, the idea of spending her life with Gajeel was heartwarming, and just felt absolutely  _right._  On the other hand, a small part of Lucy couldn't see it actually lasting long between them, but she wasn't sure why. "Um…" Lucy looked from Ryos' snuggly little body over to Gajeel and saw that he finally seemed to have evened out enough to stay quiet in his sleep. The longer she looked at the man she'd fallen in love with, the stronger that urge to tell Ryos 'yes' became. Gajeel had opened himself up to her completely the night before. The fact that he'd gone through so much and couldn't keep it in any longer, that he had turned to Lucy when he needed comfort, that he was apparently terrified of losing her at all—so much so that he was willing to beg her to never leave him, or do whatever she needed him to—and even how he'd thanked her not that long ago for helping him… Lucy saw yet another wall that Gajeel had constructed around his heart breaking away, and it was absolutely magnificent.

"It's… It's not really any of my business," Ryos said shamefully. "You don't ha—"

"Yes." Lucy giggled when Ryos stiffened for a moment before slowly raising his wide eyes to look up at her. "He's everything to me, Ryos. We may fight a lot, but… I just feel like I'm whole with Gajeel around. He understands me in a way that I never thought possible. I don't think there's anything that would make me happier than spending my life with him."

"Really?" Ryos whispered.  _She'll say yes when he tells her! I knew it!_

Lucy grinned and nodded, leaning down carefully to press her lips to Ryos' forehead and rolling her eyes when Gajeel grumbled and tightened his grip around them. "It's weird," she whispered, "I spent a month and a half with him while I was in training, and we've only been back for a little over a week… We admitted that we love each other the night I came back from my mission… And now, two days later, I want to be with him forever." Lucy sighed contentedly and smiled down at Ryos. "What do you think about all of this?"

"It's not really my place to say anything about it," Ryos said.

"Well, I wanna hear your opinion," Lucy countered with a sly smile. "Do you approve of Gajeel and me being together?"

Ryos grinned and nodded quickly. "Yeah," he whispered, "You guys are great together. I think you make him a better person. Nicer. He'll do anything to keep you happy, and that's something he really needs."

"You seem to have some inside information on this," Lucy teased, narrowing her eyes playfully at Ryos and watching him blush.

"Well, Skiadrum always said that dragons look for someone that balances them out, someone that helps them when they need it most and calms down their instincts. Slayers have that too. I think Gajeel wants to keep you happy because it makes him just as happy to see you that way. He really loves you…"

"Well, if he has your stamp of approval, then I won't hesitate to accept the offer of spending forever with him," Lucy whispered conspiratorially. "The only problem is that we aren't even dating, so it's not like he'd ask me something like that any time soon."

"Do you want to date him?"

Lucy smiled softly and shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes it feels like we're already doing just that, and other times it's just confusing. I already told him that I don't expect him to be romantic or anything like that; I just want him to be who he is. I'm not really concerned with figuring out how to label what I have with Gajeel, because then it just makes my head hurt."

 _It's called mating,_  Ryos thought. He smiled up at Lucy, then nestled himself into her side again and sighed when her fingers grazed over his scalp. "As long as you're happy with Gajeel, I'm okay with it," he said after a large yawn. "But if he ever breaks your heart, I'll handle it myself."

Lucy frowned and said, "Ryos, you don't need to worry about things like that."

"I do," Ryos said slowly as he faded in and out of consciousness. "I'll protect… my big sister… from anything…"

Lucy gasped and took a trembling breath while a slow smile parted her lips and a few tears gathered in her eyes.  _I'll protect you too, little brother._

* * *

Lucy scowled at the draining water in the sink, just having finished that last of the breakfast dishes. It was almost nine-thirty in the morning, and all she could think about was the way that Levy had spoken to Gajeel the night before. Fairy Tail's Script mage didn't know a thing about  _either_  of them, but she'd hit a serious nerve in Gajeel and he'd snapped. After hearing every minute detail of his mission—the attack on Shadowgear, what had been said, his attack on Fairy Tail, and what he had to do to make the iron pillars and destroy the guild—Lucy fully understood why Gajeel had broken down in the shower. He'd carried too much for far too long, and it seemed that the little blunette's words kept rattling around in his head even now.

"Bunny?" Gajeel asked as he walked around the corner and into the kitchen to see Lucy glaring at the sink with a still sudsy knife in her hand. "You alright in here?"

"That fucking  _bitch_ ," Lucy seethed, tightening her grip on the knife's handle until her knuckles turned white. "I'll kill that shitty little fucking Fairy myself if I ever see her…"

Gajeel sighed and slowly walked over to Lucy and slid one arm around her waist while his other hand loosened her grip on the knife. He laced their fingers together after carefully setting the knife in the sink, and kissed the top of her head, then whispered, "I already handled it, Bunny. Nothing's gonna happen to you. I won't let them—"

"It's not about me," Lucy nearly growled. "It's her fucking fault that your day went from bad to worse. She had no right to say any of that shit to you, especially when she has  _no fucking clue_  what's really going on. Stupid fucking cunt—"

Gajeel grinned and let his hands lightly trail back and forth across her stomach, hips, and sides while Lucy continued ranting. He was a little surprised to find that her voice wasn't annoying like he'd once thought when she was bitching about something, especially when he kept hearing small feminine growls coming out of her from time to time. His inner dragon had been silent since he'd woken up from that damn dream about him really laying into Gajeel for not telling her about the mating thing yet. Once Lucy's voice started to become more hostile, her little grunts or agitated huffs becoming actual growls, Gajeel saw his dragon lifting its head as if it had seen something both intriguing and hilarious.

"—I mean, who does she think she is, talking to my Dragon like that?! I swear, I'd—"

For his part, Gajeel couldn't help but find the way Lucy was acting extremely arousing. He always loved how feisty she was, so the fact that her anger right then was because the little Fairy that he'd brutalized had made him snap the night before was just too damn hot. He had originally thought it was strange when Lucy wanted to hear what he did to those Fairies while they were fucking in the shower—although he really didn't have an issue giving in to her whims on the matter because her reactions to what he had said were mindblowing—but in that moment he fully understood just why Lucy had found it so enticing. His attack on them had been because he was protecting Lucy, and she wanted to hear what he'd done to protect her; to not only stroke his ego about the strength he had, but apparently feed into the raging inferno that was her libido from his actions. Now that the tables were turned, Gajeel was hearing what Lucy wanted to do to protect him from having to deal with something like that again. Just the thought of his little blonde spitfire going all psychotic on someone for even threatening him had Gajeel hard as a rock and wishing that they were alone in the apartment.  _Yep, this is hot as fuck._  Gajeel slid his hands up her slender waist to cup her breasts, brushing his thumbs over the barely covered mounds and perfectly pebbled tips that were begging to be let out of the thin material of her tank top, and his grin widened when she subconsciously shivered and continued with her tirade.

"—I'm gonna skin her alive, cook it up, and make her little Fairy friends eat that shit. Better yet, I'll impale her skanky little asshole with a goddamn pike until it's coming out of her shit-talking mouth, and roast her like the fucking pig that she is.  _Then_  I'll make them eat it!"

"God, you're so fucking sexy like this," Gajeel growled into Lucy's ear, lightly nipping at the lobe and grinding his arousal against her ass. "Keep that up, and I'll bend you over right fucking here, Bunny."

"What?"

Gajeel grinned, his hips rocking slowly against her ass and his hands massaging her breasts, as his teeth grazed over her thrumming pulse. "I said you're so fucking sexy like this," he growled again, sucking in a sharp breath when Lucy's back arched into his touch and a light moan fell from her lips. "You're starting to sound like a dragon, y'know."

Lucy's laugh was breathy as heat pooled between her legs from the way Gajeel was touching her. She was still pissed, but now all she wanted was for their clothes to be strewn across the kitchen floor so she could take him up on the offer of a proper fuck over the countertop. "Really?" she purred seductively, "How do you figure?"

Gajeel groaned and rested one hand on her hip, holding her in place while he brushed a little more forcefully against her. Even through their clothing, he could smell her arousal wafting up and into his nostrils, and without another thought Gajeel growled and bit into Lucy's shoulder almost hard enough to break the skin. Letting his lips brush over the indentations of his teeth in her flesh, Gajeel took a shuddering breath and said, "Your voice. The angrier you get over something, the wilder you sound, Bunny. Plus what you were saying… I'm starting to think you might really be a Slayer."

Lucy giggled and tilted her head to the side, stretching her neck out for Gajeel to lavish it with attention. "Maybe you're just rubbing off on me," she whispered. "So, you like it when I start plotting people's deaths?"

"As long as it's not mine, then fuck yeah," Gajeel growled before sucking a portion of her skin into his mouth and lightly biting it. He had to calm himself down and he knew it, since they still had to figure out what was going on today and Lucy needed to get dressed; however, it was insanely difficult to try and rein in his hormones with the buxom blonde whimpering and writhing against him. "Especially when you're upset like this because you care about me."

"Who's the dirty one now?" Lucy said as she swirled her hips to rub her backside against the straining member in Gajeel's pants.

"You are," Gajeel said with a smirk. He ran his nose down the column of Lucy's throat and lightly nipped at her pulse, then wrapped his arms around her waist and took a deep steadying breath. "I'm alright, so there's no need to bring out Psycho Bunny on the trash that I already took out."

"You don't seem alright," Lucy said sadly. She slowly turned around in Gajeel's embrace and brought her lips to his. "I hate that you had to deal with that."

"No worries," Gajeel replied, one hand gently cupping Lucy's neck while he looked into her eyes. "I've got you to make it better if it's really bothering me, right?"

Lucy smiled and nodded, her heart fluttering at the gentle smile on his face. Gajeel always seemed to know just how to melt her into a little puddle, whether it was with his actions or his words, and Lucy felt the last remnants of her anger slowly drifting away while she got lost in those perfectly slitted ruby orbs. "Of course, Black Steel."

Gajeel chuckled and rested his forehead against hers, then whispered, "Then that's all that matters, Bunny. You help me and I'll help you."

Lucy melted into his embrace when she felt his perfect lips brushing over hers so gently that she could hardly believe it had happened. "Well, I can't argue with that logic," she teased, "It's how you got me to kiss you that first time."

Gajeel's jaw dropped while he gaped at her. "You know I wasn't trying to get jack shit out of you that night," he grumbled.

"I know that," Lucy said, "But because I got to see that other side of you, it made me more comfortable around you. You helped me when I really needed it, and put how much we hated each other to the side."

Gajeel leaned down and brushed his nose against hers as he said, "If it had been under normal circumstances, I would have been the one to kiss you first."

"So, why didn't you?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Because you'd had enough guys trying to force their shit on you. I made it clear that I wanted you, but it was all in your fucking hands, Bunny," Gajeel replied, his voice soft and rumbling through his chest in a way that bordered on a growl. "I couldn't even bring myself to try and kiss you because of what had happened before that… I didn't want you to feel like I was taking advantage of you."

Lucy giggled and said, "Then why did you bite my finger?"

"Because it was annoying me," Gajeel growled playfully. "Then I smelled how turned on you were getting, and figured I'd get my point across that I was interested in fucking your brains out. Aside from that though, I wouldn't have done anything else. That's why I didn't move until you kissed me, even though all I wanted to do was take that blue lingerie and throw it into the fire, and find out just how fucking sweet your little p—"

"Gajeel!" Lucy hissed, throwing a hand over his mouth and glaring at him. "Ryos is in the other room, and he can hear you. Keep that shit to yourself."

Gajeel chuckled and lightly kissed Lucy's palm, then slowly nodded to let her know he'd keep his mouth shut. He sighed and let his eyes slide closed when Lucy's fingers gently brushed across his jaw and down to his neck.

"You're really alright, though?" she asked timidly, worrying her lower lip between her teeth.

"Not a damn thing can touch me as long as I've got you, Bunny," Gajeel said. He felt a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth when Lucy's heart sped up, a clear sign that she was definitely affected by what he'd said to her. "We'll talk about it tonight if you want. We've still gotta figure out what we're doing today."

Lucy laid her head on Gajeel's still bare chest and hugged him tightly. "We should go to the guild."

Gajeel stiffened and growled as he said, "Hell no. You're not going anywhere near the guild today."

"Why?" Lucy nearly shouted. It was always like this with them: sweet and caring one moment, then an argument starting over some random subject that ended with them either naked or cuddling (depending on where they were).

"Because those fucking Fairies are probably gonna be storming the place today to get back at us for what Master had me do!" Gajeel said through gritted teeth. "I can't have you there for them to find you."

"And you think I'm okay with  _you_  being there when they attack?" Lucy asked, pushing against Gajeel's chest and scowling at him before storming out of the kitchen.

"Oi! Don't walk away from me!" he shouted as he turned to follow after the irate Celestial mage. "I've gotta be there. Not a damn thing I can do about that, since Master's gonna want  _someone_  there to handle them."

"What about the Element Four?" Lucy asked, rounding on Gajeel and glaring at him with her hands fisted on her hips. "They're—"

"They're not in town," Gajeel said. "The four of them are preparing for the next phase, and all I know is that I've gotta be at the guild when the Fairies come."

"But I can't?!" Lucy screeched. "I'm not some weak piece of shit that can't handle myself, you know! Those Fairies threatened  _me_  and  _my_  fucking freedom! I have just as much right to snap their little fucking necks as you do!"

"Lucy," Ryos interjected softly, coming up behind the fuming blonde and wrapping his arms lightly around her waist while his head rested between her shoulder blades, "I don't want you to go either… They'll look for you there first, and if anything you and I could use their distraction at the guild to get out of town so that Gajeel won't worry… And afterwards he can find us."

Lucy was visibly shaking from her rage, which had been intensified once she felt like the two Slayers were ganging up on her. Gajeel saying she needed to stay was one thing, it was something she expected him to do. Ryos on the other hand had thrown her for a loop when he actually agreed with the iron bastard. "Ryos, I know you just want to protect me," Lucy said slowly, gritting her teeth and trying not to lash out at the younger boy. She looked Gajeel dead in the eye and continued speaking even though her throat was starting to clog with her emotions. "I know you  _both_  want to protect me. I get it, really. But I can't just sit around on my ass and let everyone else do all the work. If I wanted to sit back and do fucking  _nothing_ , then I'd still be at my fucking dad's! You guys telling me to just stay here and let everyone else handle it is the same as him telling me to sit back so he can marry me off… I can't do that! I don't need to be locked up so you can keep me safe, and you can't fucking make me stay here! I'm not some pretty little china doll that can't handle her own shit! I'm… I-I'm not weak, damnit! I'm  _not_!"

Gajeel's eyes widened when he saw and smelled the angry tears welling up in Lucy's eyes. He could see that she was fighting with everything she had to hold them back, but it was clearly a battle she was losing. He was frozen in place until she sniffled slightly and a single strangled cry fell past her lips. As if that had been the key to break his stupor, Gajeel strode quickly across the room and wrapped his arms around Lucy and Ryos, laying his head on top of hers and lightly kissing her golden locks. Lucy's hands instantly fisted against his chest, and now that he was close enough, Gajeel could feel just how much she was actually holding back. She was shaking uncontrollably while her body was wracked with suppressed sobs, and her scent was clouded with both a deep sadness and burning anger. "Shh," he whispered into her hair, "You're not weak, Bunny. That's not what this was about at all. I'm a dick for not seeing it sooner…" He paused and sighed, letting Lucy try to calm herself down a little bit before he finally said, "You're a fighter, Bunny. You've got every right to be there to make those Fairies pay for this shitstorm they're bringing down on us, and I know for a fact that you'll scare the fuck out of them for even  _thinking_ of taking you away…"

Lucy hiccupped and nodded, feeling Ryos tighten his grip around her waist while he nuzzled her back. She brought a shaky hand down and intertwined her fingers with the Shadow Slayer's own, squeezing his hand slightly in silent thanks for his comfort. "I-I won't run away from th-this," she stammered through her tears. "I'm t-tired of running… It has to s-stop…"

"Please don't cry, Bunny," Gajeel said, his voice soft and soothing even to his own ears. He brought a hand up and slowly started running it through her long golden tresses while taking a deep breath. Gajeel hadn't thought that something as simple as her being told to stay put would affect her this way, and the last thing he wanted was for Lucy to feel like he was trying to keep her locked up like her own father had done. The only problem was that he felt it with every fiber of his being that her being at the guild today would end badly. If Fairy Tail was really going to retaliate, then she would be right where they could see her. They would take her away from him if she was at the guild… And Gajeel wasn't so sure he'd be able to take on an entire guild like them on his own. "I promise, we're not trying to lock you up like he did. It's just that… If you're at the guild, I'll be worried that they'll take you when I'm not looking. You'd fight like hell, but it could still happen… At least if you're here with the brat, they won't find you right away."

"But if I'm here, then you'll be worried that they got to me when you weren't around," Lucy shot back with another sniffle while she tried to calm the roiling emotions inside of herself. She turned slightly and pulled Ryos around to her side, wrapping her arm around his slender frame and hugging him tightly to her chest. "Ryos, you're still healing from Gajeel attacking you a few days ago. Plus, your magic is still unstable right now. I know that you can take care of yourself when it comes to hiding, but if you push yourself too hard you could be seriously hurt."

Ryos nodded and laid his head on Lucy's chest. "I know. There's not a lot that I can do… I want to help protect you, but I'm too weak to—"

"No," Lucy said firmly. "It's not about you being too weak, because that's not the case. You need to take care of yourself first right now before you can worry about me or anyone else." When she saw that Ryos was going to protest, the glint of determination shining brightly in his eyes, Lucy sighed and kissed his forehead as she whispered, "Gajeel will worry about  _both_  of us if I'm here. If I'm at the guild, then there's no way you'll get dragged into this, and Gajeel will be there to have my back. If I stay here with you, and the Fairies come for me, then it could end badly if you try to use your magic against them to protect me."

"Damnit," Gajeel mumbled, "You've got a point, Bunny."

Lucy smiled softly and looked into Ryos' worried garnet eyes. "I won't let  _anyone_  hurt you over this, Ryos. And me staying here when Fairy Tail attacks will only bring them busting down the door and doing whatever they have to so they can get to me. Gajeel and I will handle those Fairies, and as soon as it's done, we'll come home and spend the rest of the night together. Just the three of us. How does that sound?"

Ryos' eyebrows pushed together as he looked from Lucy up to Gajeel. He could see the barely concealed tension and anxiety in the older Slayer, and knew that it was from this whole Fairy Tail debacle. "How will I know if you're okay though?" he asked, looking back to Lucy and lifting his hands to brush away her tears. When she gave him a shaky smile, Ryos gave her a small smile back as he lowered his head to rest against her chest, taking in the comforting cake-like scent he'd grown so fond of.

"You'll have to trust us," Gajeel said before Lucy could respond. "You know I'll do everything I can to keep her safe while we're out, brat. Bunny's right. This is as much her fight as it is ours, and you still need to rest. Even if I hadn't kicked your ass a couple days ago, you're still getting your magic back up to where it needs to be."

Ryos nodded and sighed, clutching tightly to Lucy and feeling like a complete failure as a Dragon Slayer. Skiadrum had told him that Ryos ending the dragon's life would make him stronger, but it didn't feel like that in the slightest right then. He was too weak from not having been able to properly care for himself, and now… When Lucy needed every bit of support she could get… He couldn't help her.  _How can I possibly call myself a Slayer when I can't even protect my sister?_ , he silently wondered.

"Let me and Gajeel worry about them, okay?" Lucy whispered. "I know you want to protect me, but right now I have to protect you."

"But…" Ryos mumbled before his words died in his throat. But, what? There wasn't anything he could do. He was utterly useless at this point, all because he'd been left alone too early and hadn't known what to do to keep himself healthy. He had finally found people that cared about him—Lucy who he already viewed as family, and even Gajeel who showed that he didn't absolutely hate Ryos in his own way—and now it was all being threatened…

Lucy and Ryos were pulled just a little closer by Gajeel, the large muscular arms that were wrapping around them sending as much comfort as he was capable of, and Lucy laid her head on Gajeel's chest as she said, "I'll protect my little brother from anything."

Gajeel raised a pierced brow in surprise, but kept his nose nestled in Lucy's hair while she helped soothe the boy's fears. Hearing her say something like that was highly unexpected, and only added to the mental image he already had of Lucy being just like a damn dragon herself. From admitting to Gajeel the night before that she would always be his to how she'd been ranting earlier, and even now with her possessive nature over Ryos' wellbeing, it really wasn't that far of a stretch of the imagination to picture her being raised the same way the two actual Slayers had been.

Ryos slowly lifted his head to look at the softened chocolate eyes of the blonde woman who held him.  _That's exactly what I was thinking before I fell back asleep earlier,_ he thought incredulously. "I… Who?"

Lucy giggled and playfully brushed her nose along Ryos' as she said, "You, silly. It didn't take as long as I thought it would, but you're just like the little brother I never had. We'll never be alone again. We're family... Now and forever."

"F-Family…?" Ryos whispered, a small smile spreading across his face until it was a wide and hopeful grin. When Lucy nodded happily, Ryos couldn't help but tighten his grip on her waist and lunge forward to hug and nuzzle her with all of the affection he could muster. He had a family. Lucy was filling the void that Skiadrum had left behind, and it made Ryos feel lighter than ever.

Lucy laughed and kissed Ryos' inky black hair, then smiled up at Gajeel. "Don't think you're getting out of this, Black Steel," she teased, watching as his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're all mine, so—"

Gajeel chuckled and shook his head. "So that means that the brat's part of the package, huh?" When Lucy grinned and nodded, Gajeel rolled his eyes and heaved a dramatic sigh. "Well, I guess it can't be helped then. You hear that, brat? You're stuck with me now."

Ryos laughed and moved slightly so he could nuzzle Gajeel's side. It was the first time Ryos had ever tried to show any form of affection towards the older mage, and he did notice Gajeel tense for the briefest of moments. Before Ryos could question whether or not he had done something wrong—even though what he'd done was exactly how he always used to show Skiadrum how he felt about things—Gajeel's hand moved up and ruffled his hair. "Works for me," Ryos said happily.

Gajeel looked over at the clock and shook his head slowly when he saw how close it was getting to ten in the morning. "Bunny, we've gotta get going. There's no telling when those Fairies might leave, and I really don't wanna be on our way to the guild when they get here."

Lucy sighed and nodded. "Alright… Ryos, you're gonna be alright for a little while, right?"

"Yeah," Ryos answered. "I'll just read and get some rest while you guys are out."

"And you'll make sure to eat something for lunch," Lucy added firmly. "No shadows unless one of us is here, just in case. But you still need to eat regular food."

"I know," Ryos said with a small smile. "You still haven't gotten dressed, Lucy."

Lucy tilted her head to the side, then looked down to see that she had in fact stayed in her pajamas the entire time. While she hadn't thought much about it the night before, Lucy was now realizing that not wearing a bra with her tank top like she normally did was probably not the smartest thing she'd ever done. It was too late now to even be embarrassed by the fact that Ryos had probably gotten a very clear view of her breasts through the stretched fabric, so Lucy swallowed down the urge to cover herself and laughed while she smacked herself in the forehead. "I'm so blonde, sometimes," she joked as she pulled herself from Gajeel's and Ryos' grasp to gather her clothes for the day.

"You're always blonde," Gajeel and Ryos said in unison, stopping abruptly to look at one another in shock before they started laughing. Of course, their laughter only intensified—with the pair of them hanging on one another for support—when a red-faced and angry Lucy turned around only to stare at them like they had gone mad. She was obviously just as shocked as they were about what had happened, but instead of laughing about it, Lucy appeared to be stuck in the shocked phase.

Ryos glanced at Gajeel, then they both turned to look at Lucy and said, "I think we broke her."

Lucy could only stare as her Slayers fell to the ground in a fit of laughter, a gentle smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

* * *

Lucy frowned at her smoothie while she was sitting at the bar, listening to the buzz of her guild mates while they all chattered excitedly about what Gajeel had done on his mission. It seemed that the previous day, while she had been away with both Gajeel and Ryos, word had gotten out about his upcoming mission to destroy the Fairies' guild. Everyone wanted to talk to him and find out just what happened, especially since the news was flying all over town that the guild had been seriously fucked up overnight, but no one was stupid enough to try and interrupt his meal. She didn't like this one bit. The threat from her father, how he was using Fairy Tail to get her back, and how she was essentially being used as a ragdoll to get pulled back and forth between the two guilds. She wanted to stay in Phantom Lord, not to be dragged back to her father's estate and sold off to the highest bidder. More specifically, she wanted to be with Gajeel and Ryos. Even if they left this guild and went somewhere else, Lucy didn't want to be separated from her two Slayers. Ever.

What really nagged at her though was the meeting she'd just had with Master Jose. Something seemed off about how he was acting over the whole thing, but she couldn't place exactly what it was. Gajeel had told her that their guild master had an unresolved issue with Makarov, but this seemed like a whole lot more than that. She was positively torn between wanting to warn the Fairies that something bad was coming so they wouldn't have to suffer, and bringing down her own exacting vengeance against them for trying to steal her away from the life she'd built on her own. Lucy hated seeing people suffer, but something about this whole situation with Fairy Tail had her head wrapped around the idea that  _their_  suffering wouldn't be such a bad thing. Her thoughts were convoluted and extremely conflicted, but Lucy was drawn out of herself when she heard what was going on behind her. With a dark chuckle, Lucy slowly turned around on her bar stool and sipped at her smoothie while she watched the free show.

Gajeel glanced over to the bar when he saw Lucy turning around in his periphery, and narrowed his eyes slightly when he saw the smallest little smirk pulling at one corner of her mouth. His eyes raked over her delicious little body, taking in everything from her iron-toed combat boots, up her bare and slender legs to the skimpy little black pleated mini-skirt she'd chosen for the day. Her stomach was bare as always, so Gajeel got a perfect view of the swell of her hips that tapered into her mouth-wateringly tiny waist, her Phantom Lord guild mark that was proudly displayed in that deep red that he loved to see on her, and the iron dragon that pierced her navel. He hadn't put much thought into what she'd chosen to wear that day, since it was always something that showed off all of her best physical attributes, but the red top she was wearing finally struck him as familiar when he remembered that it was the same top she'd worn to the bar before they'd gone back into the mountains.  _Black and red, huh?_  Gajeel forced himself to keep going, struggling to hold himself in place when he got the silent message that she wanted him to lay her out on her back and fuck her brains out.  _She knows what that shit does to me,_  he thought as he looked at her collarbones and neck to see the barely concealed hickeys and bites hidden under her flowing golden hair along with the thin iron chain around her neck that held the gift he'd given her. When Gajeel finally lifted his eyes to hers, Lucy wasn't even looking at him, but just next to him. He took another bite of metal, and his nose finally registered that someone had come up to him.

"So, Gajeel," one of the dumber and rowdier members of the guild said cheerfully, "I heard you made a mess out of the Fairy Tail guild hall…" He paused for a moment when the chatter around the guild went eerily silent, leaving only the sound of crunching metal echoing through the main room. Deciding that everyone else must be eager to hear Gajeel recount the tale, the man pushed onward. "Oh man, I wish I could've seen the looks on their faces. They probably ran away crying to their mommies! 'Boo-hoo, somebody bwoke my pwayhouse!'"

Lucy raised a challenging eyebrow at Gajeel, keeping her eyes locked onto his, and saw him snarl as he tightly clenched his teeth. There was a sickening screech of metal that sounded out through the guild followed quickly by bits and pieces of screws and metal bars clanging loudly on the tabletop. She watched a dangerous and thrilling anger rise up in Gajeel, his eyes burning with its intensity as he broke away from her gaze to look at the unlucky son of a bitch that had bothered him. A menacing growl rumbled through the room just before Gajeel's arm shot out and shifted into an iron pole, hitting the sorry guild member in the chin and sending him flying across the room. The entire guild burst out into a cacophonous fit of laughter at the one man's expense, and Lucy found herself joining in with a small giggle.

As Gajeel pulled his arm back, letting it slowly shift back into his flesh, he growled, "How many times to tell ya, I don't like to be bothered while I'm eating?!" He clenched his fists and stood up, hearing Master Jose walking down the hall from his office. "And besides," he added with a sneer, "Those little Fairy fuckers can't challenge us. We're way more powerful than they could ever hope to be."

Jose grinned and slowly clapped as he stood at the second floor balcony and looked across the guild hall at each and everyone one of his members, seeing that all of them had turned to look at him. Everyone except for Lucy. Instead of turning in her seat at the bar, the young blonde simply leaned back on her elbows and tilted her head back to smile up at him. Jose was curious to see whether or not Gajeel had done anything aside from attacking the guild hall as he'd ordered, and he knew just the way to find out. All he had to do was stroke the Slayer's ego a little bit. "The die has been cast. I compliment your excellent work, Gajeel."

Gajeel felt pride swelling in himself for the praise he'd received from Master Jose. It wasn't often that the guild master would actually openly compliment someone for a job well done, so the attack on the guild must have really impressed the man. "I didn't think we were hard enough on them, so I decided to leave them a little something extra," Gajeel replied with a wicked grin. "A present that's sure to get those Fairy's panties in a knot."

Lucy fought against the blush that threatened to dust across her cheeks at the mention of Team Shadowgear's attack. Gajeel's 'present' wasn't so much for Fairy Tail as it was for Lucy, and after his explanation over breakfast of what had transpired during his mission, she knew that he'd left them that way in particular to spread the suffering around even more.  _My strong Dragon was protecting what's his,_ she thought happily.

Jose's grin matched Gajeel's and he watched Lucy slowly turn in her seat to stare at the bar in front of her. "Very good, my boy," he said. Once he was sure Lucy couldn't see him, Jose gave Gajeel a pointed look and added, "Be sure to take extra care that no harm comes to  _that one_ , if you please."

Gajeel chuckled darkly and nodded as he sat back down in his seat and started eating again. He watched Master Jose head back towards his office, but it didn't really matter since it was just a thought projection of the guild master anyway. Gajeel had known from the moment Jose had opened the door to his office that it wasn't him, since his scent was altogether non-existent. That could only mean that Jose was already at the guild's headquarters with the Element Four while they prepared for the next phase. Jose had openly told Gajeel to keep an eye on Lucy, and by the way she was tensed slightly, he could tell that she'd picked up on it as well. After ten more minutes of Lucy staying completely rigid, Gajeel rolled his eyes and got out of his seat. With long strides, he was towering over her, and a low growl rumbled through his chest before he hauled her out of her seat and dragged her ass kicking and screaming out into the training grounds.

"What the fuck?!" Lucy screeched once she was dropped on the ground. She carefully stood up and dusted herself off while she glared at the scowling Slayer before her.

"Talk to me," Gajeel said softly as he leaned back against the wall nearest himself and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're tense and I can smell how fucking confused you are. So, what's going on?"

"Just this waiting around bullshit," Lucy said with a sigh, mimicking Gajeel's posture on the wall next to him. "I want it to be done, but I know Master's got more than just Fairy Tail attacking us planned. Part of me wants to just take you and Ryos and go confront my father to get it out of the way, then no one will have any reason to fight over me… I hate this…"

Gajeel nodded and glanced around the training grounds, then over to the rooftop that he and Ryos had used the day before to get down from the rafters inside. "Alright, Bunny. Time for tactics," he said suddenly. Gajeel turned to face Lucy and saw both confusion and piqued interest in her eyes, and he answered her questioning gaze with a smirk. "I've gotta keep you safe, but you have every right to fight by my side against the Fairies."

"Right…?" Lucy said slowly, frowning and tilting her head to the side.

"So, I need you to follow my lead, okay?" When Gajeel saw that she looked a little uncertain, he grinned and winked at her before hauling her up over his shoulder and laughing when she squealed as he started climbing the wall they'd been leaning on. Once they were up on the roof, he carefully set her down and pulled her into a crouch next to him so they were hidden behind the small half-wall lip that surrounded the ledge.

"What are we doing, Black Steel?" Lucy whispered.

"A few things," Gajeel answered as he sat down fully and pulled her into his lap so her legs were draped over his. He grinned when she sighed and cuddled closer to him, her dainty fingers playing with the feathered sleeve on his tunic, then said, "If you're gonna be here to fight them, you need to have the upper hand. You already know what kind of magic they use, and how strong they are, but you've never  _seen_ them fight. So, we'll sit up in the rafters and keep an eye on the rest of the guild fighting them."

"So, we'll let the rest of the guild handle the weaker members, maybe a couple stronger ones, and then join in?" Lucy asked softly.

Gajeel nodded and started running his fingers through her hair. "Exactly. No point in wasting our energy on the little guys. When we drop down, you hit them with everything you've got. Don't hold back, Bunny."

"Pfft, when do I ever hold back?" Lucy snorted, earning a chuckle from Gajeel.

"Good point," he growled playfully as he nestled his nose in her hair. "Aside from having a good vantage point, now you'll know where to look for the brat when he gets all stealthy on you at the guild."

"Ryos hides in the rafters?!" Lucy asked incredulously.  _No wonder I couldn't find him. I never thought to look there._

"Yep. Aside from that…" Gajeel paused and lifted Lucy's chin with a finger, then captured her lips with his in a sensual caress. "I need you, Bunny. You know what black and red does to me." When he noticed the mischief gleaming in her eyes, Gajeel grinned darkly at her and was taken aback when Lucy was the one to slant her mouth roughly over his, her tongue plunging between his lips and her hands running over his chest and up into his hair. As his hands slid lower and lower on her back, finally curving over her voluptuous backside and pushing her skirt up, Gajeel broke away from the kiss to groan against her lips while Lucy started grinding her ass against the straining member in his pants. "Have I ever told you how much I fucking love your skirts?" he rasped.

Lucy laughed huskily and nibbled across Gajeel's jaw, sucking his pierced lobe into her mouth with a light moan spilling from her. "Lay down and you can show me just how much you love my skirts," she purred before licking the line of iron piercings in his ear. She forced his grip on her to loosen, then crawled off of Gajeel's lap with a devious grin on her face. His breathing was labored, his nostrils flared while he took in her arousal that she knew was intensifying by the second, and the way his vibrant crimson eyes bored into her had Lucy shuddering and lightly nibbling her lower lip. When Gajeel stayed in place, leaning against the half-wall and panting while he stared her down, Lucy raised an eyebrow and whispered, "Go on. Time to be a good dragon."

Gajeel growled at her, narrowing his eyes in warning to keep comments like that to herself, but all he saw in her eyes was intensifying lust and a small bit of amusement. "Watch it—"

"Uh, uh, uh," Lucy tutted, waving a single finger back and forth before finally bringing it to her lips. She lightly nibbled on the tip of her finger, a small and seductive smile creeping across her face when Gajeel's eyes honed in on her mouth. "Lay down, and I'll make it worth your while," she rasped, circling her tongue around and around the tip of her finger. "I want my Dragon to feel  _good_. Won't you let me?"

Gajeel groaned and bit his lower lip while she teased that lucky little digit with her tongue. There was a very specific place he wanted that lithe pink muscle of hers, and it wasn't on her goddamn fingers. "Course I will, Bunny," he finally said. He carefully slid down until his back was pressed to the roof, the pair of them now completely hidden from view as long as they stayed low. The excited grin that spread across Lucy's face had his cock twitching while she eyed every inch of him, essentially stripping him bare using only those decadent chocolate eyes of hers.

Lucy knelt on Gajeel's side and brought her lips to his while she quickly undid his belt and pants after pulling her black lace panties off from beneath her skirt. Without wasting any time, because she wasn't sure how long they would have up here, she reached into his boxers and started stroking the proud and pierced member that she just couldn't get enough of while he slid his clothes down to his knees. She lifted her head, sensually licking her lips with a wicked grin that had Gajeel's eyes going wide, and planted her hands on either side of his hips while she threw one leg over to straddle his head.

Gajeel groaned when Lucy's sweet, glistening sex was hovering over his mouth, and instantly brought his hands up and around her ass to push her closer to him. Her hand had started stroking him again, but once his lips brushed over her core, Gajeel had to suppress a groan when her hot mouth closed around his shaft and started bobbing slowly. Her scent filled his nostrils with each deep breath, and he panted against her before he finally couldn't take any more and dove in like a man starved. The combination of Lucy's mouth on his cock, her arousal bursting across his tongue, and the little whimpers and moans she let out that sent shockwaves of pleasure through him had Gajeel absolutely ravenous. He devoured every bit of her and all he wanted was more.

Lucy started bobbing her head faster and faster, tucking her lips over her teeth when she felt Gajeel's control slipping. She went rigid when he plunged two fingers deep within her core while his tongue and teeth teased her sensitive nub, then moaned long and low while she tried to give him just as much pleasure as he was giving her. His mouth was driving her mad with the way his teeth would nibble at her clit only for his tongue to quickly flick over it, but Lucy could tell that she was affecting him just as much by the way he'd started grunting and thrusting his hips more urgently. Of all the things Lucy had wanted to try out, this position was definitely at the top of her list. She'd given blowjobs and had a guy go down on her, but  _never_  at the same time. Mainly, it was because Gajeel was the first man she'd ever been with that seemed to love having his mouth between her legs; however another reason for her willingness to do it right now was because it was way too hard for her to keep quiet during sex. Plus there was the whole fight against Fairy Tail that was about to happen, and neither of them really needed to expend too much energy before then just in case.

"Oh, Bunny," Gajeel moaned against Lucy's dripping sex, thrusting harder into the deliciously wet cavern just behind her plump lips. One hand shot down and wrapped around the back of her neck to hold her in place, and he grinned when Lucy's hands slid around his body to massage his ass when he started moving faster. "You want me to fuck that hot little mouth?" he growled, roughly sucking her nether lips into his own mouth and moaning at how potent her arousal was already.

"Mm-hmm!" Lucy mumbled, squeezing Gajeel's rock-hard ass and pushing him forcefully down her throat. She moaned with every breath she was able to take, letting him control just what she did and not caring in the slightest just how much of her spit was coating her chin. Lucy's hips rocked in time with each of his powerful thrusts into her mouth, and when Gajeel forced her head all the way down she felt tears stinging her eyes while he rocked his own hips against her. She was torn between wanting him to pull back so she could breathe and staying right where she was so he could keep pistoning into her core with his fingers while licking and nibbling at her sensitive pearl.

"Fuck, that's it," Gajeel moaned as his fingers started moving faster and harder into Lucy's sex, his tongue flattening over her sensitive bundle so that the iron bar that speared through it could rub over her again and again. A series of tremors wracked her slender body, and he finally let her head back up enough for her to breathe when her nails started digging into the flesh on his thighs. "Mmm, just like that… Such a… mmph… good little Bunny."

Lucy whimpered again and again, feeling her body tightening in time with the swelling of Gajeel's cock between her lips. She tilted her head slightly and her eyes rolled back when he groaned and slammed his fingers deep inside of her, scissoring them quickly to bring her climax even faster.

Gajeel spread Lucy's legs wider until all of her weight was resting completely on top of him, then moved both hands to her backside and started roughly massaging those perfect cheeks while he feasted on her. His tongue plunged between her slick folds, spearing into her core again and again while he growled and started pounding into her mouth. "Fuck, I love you," he rasped against her sex, groaning when Lucy's cheeks hollowed out and she roughly sucked on him. "You're getting so tight, Bunny." His hands slid down around her ass, his arms circling over her hips, and spread her nether lips wide open while he lightly blew on the glistening skin.

Lucy's release was barreling towards her at breakneck speeds, and she could feel Gajeel hardening in her mouth as the seconds ticked by. She was on fire, and the heat that washed over her left her lightheaded. Her tongue quickly circled around his tip when he withdrew, a tangy droplet of precum settling on her taste buds, and Lucy pulled her head up and gasped when she felt a growl rumbling from Gajeel as his tongue lapped at her relentlessly, the piercings in his chin at the perfect spot to rub over her engorged bundle with every move he made. Her hand started quickly stroking his shaft, squeezing just a little while running over each piercing, while she moaned, "Oh, Gajeel… Fuck, your piercings feel so good."

Gajeel chuckled against her sex and very intentionally rubbed his chin against her clit, groaning loudly when her head dropped down to suck on him with renewed vigor. When Lucy tensed and moaned, Gajeel grinned and said, "Cum for me, Bunny. Come on. Let me taste just how sweet you are." As if his words were the catalyst she had needed to fall over the edge, Lucy's body went completely rigid while he dove in and ravaged her sex with a constant stream of growls reverberating from him as she finally crested that peak. He was surprised when she somehow managed a scream with his cock ramming down her throat over and over as he bounded towards his end, but Gajeel was quickly lost in just how different it was to feel his piercings rubbing against the roof of her mouth. Within only a few thrusts, Gajeel's hand shot down to hold Lucy's head in place when he finally found his own release, shooting stream after stream of his seed down her throat and groaning as he continued drinking down that sweet nectar from her spasming sex.

Lucy whimpered and panted while she licked every trace of Gajeel's climax from him, even sucking up the excess saliva from his shaft before moving down to lap up anything that had dripped down onto his pelvis. She grinned when he gasped and shuddered, still highly sensitive from his release, and finally lifted her head to wipe her own mouth and chin while Gajeel lightly kissed and nibbled on her thighs.

"Okay," Gajeel panted with a fully-sated grin, "If you're gonna do shit like  _that_ , then you can tell me to be a 'good dragon' all you fucking want."

Lucy giggled and pulled herself back to sit on Gajeel's side while the pair righted their clothes. Once his pants and boxers were situated, and her underwear was back on, Lucy crawled forward and straddled his hips then leaned down and lightly kissed him. Before he could deepen the kiss, she moved to the side and giggled as she started running her tongue across his lips and chin. "I got you all dirty, Black Steel," Lucy whispered between long strokes of her tongue as she cleaned her own climax from around his mouth.

Gajeel's eyes widened in shock, and his fingers lightly traced along her spine while he sat back and let the little sex kitten do as she pleased. Lucy was the only woman he'd been with that didn't seem to mind the taste of herself on him when they kissed, but this was definitely  _not_  something he'd expected her to do. "Since when do you—"

"Shh," Lucy whispered, giving Gajeel a chaste kiss and a wink, "I wanna help clean you up." She leaned down and lightly sucked his chin piercings into her mouth, giggling softly when his breathing stuttered. After a few more languid licks, Lucy grinned and rubbed her nose along Gajeel's as she said, "All done."

Gajeel chuckled and cupped a hand around her neck, running his thumb over her cheek again and again, then said, "Such a sweet little Bunny."

Lucy sighed happily and melted into the slow and tender kiss they shared. "Only for you, Gajeel," she said, leaning down to lay her head on his chest with a sleepy smile. "By the way, I love you too. My mouth was a little preoccupied earlier."

Gajeel wrapped his arms around the beautiful blonde that was lying on top of him, and said, "Trust me, I know you do. I've been getting spoiled all damn day."

"And you'll get spoiled even more after Ryos goes to sleep tonight," Lucy added with a smirk. "You only got a little taste of that icing this morning. There's still quite a bit left, and now I'm curious to see how good it tastes on  _you_."

"You're gonna lick icing off of me tonight?" Gajeel asked with wide and hungry eyes, his spent member trying to twitch back to life at the thrill that shot through him. He loved having any part of Lucy on him, but the way she worked with her tongue was just pure magic in his eyes. Never in his life had Gajeel thought that a woman licking something off of him would be so arousing, but yet again Lucy proved to be the exception.

"You're goddamn right I am," Lucy said. "Can't let you have all the fun."

"It's official," Gajeel whispered with a wide grin, "You're  _definitely_  all mine, Bunny. No way in hell am I letting you go now."

* * *

The mages from Fairy Tail were on a mission once they exited the train in Oak Town. There was only one huge building among the dozens of historic sites that they wanted to visit. Makarov had been appalled and ready to drink himself into a stupor over the cowardice that Phantom Lord had shown by decimating their guild hall, but the brutality that Team Shadowgear had been forced to endure was too far. He knew that Jose had an issue with him from all those years ago, over a seemingly small and insignificant argument when they were both pompous and egotistical mages. Never in all his years had Makarov thought the man would resort to something as vile as nearly killing three of his children. It was unforgivable, and the rest of his guild was more than willing to go to war over this.

"Master," Erza said firmly, moving forward to walk next to the much smaller mage, "If she is still there, what would you like me to do?"

Makarov frowned and shook his head while clenching his fists. Something was off about this whole thing, he was sure of it. Why was it that they'd only just gotten word of Lucy Heartfilia being kidnapped by Phantom Lord from Levy and her team, only for Phantom to attack them the very next night? If it had only been the guild hall, Makarov would have believed it to be a coincidence. But, with Team Shadowgear still unconscious and in critical condition, Makarov could only assume that it had more to do with the heiress than he'd thought before. What kind of monster would so brazenly  _carve_  the Phantom Lord symbol into someone's flesh—no, not just their flesh, but deep into their muscles? Jet and Droy seemed to be the lucky ones of the three, since they had been assured that there would be minimal to no scarring from the nightmare they had endured. Levy on the other hand… She would bear that symbol of her torment for the rest of her life from what the doctors said. Not even Porlyusica could completely heal the damage that had been wrought in that single mark. Too much time had passed, and it would take a long time for the girl to even be able to walk again after having her legs violently torn from their sockets in her hips. "If she's there, we'll take her with us," he said finally. "I have a feeling that the young woman is part of the reason they were attacked…"

"What?!" Erza gasped, her eyes going wide and replacing the stoic mask she always had in place with a purely astonished expression. "What do you mean?"

Makarov sighed and said, "Levy and her team were the ones that saw her being taken into the guild, and now they're in the hospital. This can't be a coincidence, Erza."

"I say we just burn the place to the ground," Natsu interjected with a low growl. "Forget about who's inside—"

"You idiot," Gray shouted, "There's an innocent girl in there!"

"If she's even still there!" Natsu shot back.

Loke frowned and looked over at Erza, then said, "What did you say the girl's name was?"

"Lucy Heartfilia," Erza replied. "She's an heiress that disappeared from her father's estate one month ago. The information on the request says that she has an interest in magic, so we should be careful of that just in case she's decided to start learning to use any."

Loke nodded and frowned. Something seemed familiar about it all, but he couldn't place what it was. There was something about this whole thing with the Heartfilia girl that was screaming in the back of his head that he knew her, but he'd never met the girl in his life—which was honestly saying something. He would know if he met an heiress, since they were pretty much all the same, and he hadn't wasted his time with any of those women for a long while.

"What does she even look like?" Gray asked after he and Natsu decided to save their rage for the bastards that had hurt their family. "If everyone's keeping an eye out for her, then shouldn't we know who we're looking for?"

"That is a valid point, Gray," Makarov said, giving Erza a curt nod as the path before them cleared completely. There was boisterous laughter coming from the looming building several blocks away at the end of the road, and Makarov could feel his anger rising and trying to force his magic out of control. He'd spent years perfecting his ability to change size, but it was tied very closely to his extreme emotions—like anger—and as he aged, Makarov found it increasingly difficult to keep himself in the smaller and less intimidating form he always had when he was crossed.

Erza pulled the single flyer she'd been given from beneath her breastplate and looked down at the smiling face of a very sweet blonde teenage girl. There was something familiar about her face, almost as if Erza had seen her recently, but she had no clue where or when it could have been. After only a moment, she handed the page to Gray and watched as both he and Loke stopped dead in their tracks while they looked at the picture, their faces going slack and pale in recognition. Several members grumbled behind them as they collided with the utterly still Ice Make and Ring mages, but neither moved from their spots. Erza frowned and whirled around, Makarov hot on her heels, as she said, "What is it?"

 _It can't be,_  Loke thought with wide eyes. The girl in the picture was a beautiful blonde dressed in the finest of silks, a sweet and  _very_  familiar smile on her face—though much more subdued than what he'd seen of it—and soft brown eyes that radiated warmth and kindness. "G-Gray… It's…"

"Shit," Gray rasped. The girl on the train the week before was pictured right there on Erza's request flyer. Lucy Heartfilia. "It's her…"

"What?" Erza asked more forcefully, stepping forward to knock some sense into the stunned men and halting in an instant when Makarov stepped in front of her.

"Tell us, children. What do you know?" Makarov asked firmly.

"M-Master," Loke whispered, slowly meeting Makarov's eyes and taking a shaky breath. "Gray and I saw her on a train last week heading to Magnolia… She said… That she was looking for Celestial Keys… And going from town to town…"

"She didn't act like an heiress," Gray added absently. "She broke a guy's nose on the train."

Makarov raised an eyebrow at the two, then said, "That seems to fit with the description I was given by Levy. It seems this girl acts nothing like what we would expect of someone with her upbringing."

"How so?" Erza asked.

Makarov chuckled, just the barest remnants of amusement and all he could muster in that moment, then said, "She apparently has a mouth worse than Laxus. Then again, that could have been because she was being hauled off to Phantom Lord on someone's shoulder."

Natsu glanced down at the picture and instantly saw just how nice the girl seemed to be. It was in her eyes and in her smile. There were a lot of things he didn't know, but one thing he was really good at was getting a read on people. "Who knows why she'd act like that?" he asked nonchalantly. "Let's get to Phantom Lord and help her out! Plus, we still need to get those Phantom bastards back for hurting our family!"

There was a resounding cheer as the march was continued towards Phantom Lord's guild hall, each of Fairy Tail's present members filled with determination to not only help the innocent girl that had been kidnapped, but to also avenge their guild mates and the pride of Fairy Tail as a whole.

* * *

Ryos stretched as he woke up, having decided that he would take Lucy and Gajeel's advice and get some much needed rest. After the couple had left to go to the guild, Ryos decided that he would just sit and read for a little while. The stress and anxiety was palpable while Lucy and Gajeel were still there, and it hadn't abated in the slightest after they left. He hadn't been able to focus on reading whatsoever, because he found himself sitting and listening intently for any sounds of Fairy Tail's arrival at the guild. Based on stories he'd heard about that guild, they were destructive and insane. Which meant that the Fairies attacking the guild would result in lots of explosions, he was sure.

Because he hadn't been able to sit still and read, Ryos took a nap. There wasn't much else that he  _could_  do while he was at Lucy's house, since she was the one that made it fun to be there in the first place. He would be forever grateful for her hospitality and kindness, and loved sleeping in her bed. It was perfect, and smelled just like her. He still didn't understand how she could possibly smell just like cake, but he wasn't complaining once his senses were filled with it. Lucy's scent was positively soothing in a way he hadn't known since losing his father, and Ryos knew that he would always cherish the bond he'd formed with the sweet (and sometimes terrifying) blonde.

A single glance at the clock told him it was nearing lunch time, so Ryos stood up and made himself a quick sandwich, then another. Since he'd started actively eating shadows, now that he understood how to do it, he wasn't nauseated or sick at all. He knew that he had a long way to go before he was anywhere close to being like Gajeel as far as his magic was concerned, but Lucy was right about the fact that he needed to regain his strength. Luckily, Ryos' appetite for normal food was returning since he didn't get sick just from eating a few slices of partially stale bread now, so two rather large sandwiches and a glass of juice seemed like a feast in comparison.

As Ryos washed the few dishes he had dirtied in making his lunch, he quietly chuckled when he remembered just how astonished he had been when Lucy had cooked dinner for the three of them his first night at Lucy's. She hadn't been in the kitchen for long, and the smells of the food she was cooking were absolutely amazing, but his jaw had dropped to the floor when she walked out with three steaming plates of food—two in her hands and one on her arm—with vastly varying amounts of food on them. Lucy's plate was portioned normally, as was Ryos', and when he'd been worried about trying to finish everything she'd given him, the blonde had simply patted his arm and said that he should eat what he could and then she would put the rest in a container for him to heat up later on when he was hungry again. Gajeel's plate, on the other hand, was piled high with food, and Ryos had even seen a few screws and bits of metal thrown into it here and there.

Not only had it been surprising that Lucy had made so much food to begin with, or that she seemed to understand just what Ryos needed since she'd given him a good bit of plain rice to help with his queasiness, but the sheer amount of food that Gajeel had been able to take in was absolutely astounding. The older Slayer had three humongous servings of Lucy's cooking, and there was still food left over afterwards. Ryos knew that his metabolism fed into his magic, so the stronger he was the more of both his element and regular food he would need to consume, but it just didn't make sense when he actually  _saw_ another Slayer eating so much.

A loud explosion followed by shrill screams yanked Ryos from his memories, and his eyes went wide while he tried to figure out what was happening. After less than a minute of eerie silence outside of the apartment, there were even louder explosions that seemed to rumble through the town and rattled the dishes that were still drying in the rack on the counter. "Lucy…" Ryos whispered worriedly, biting harshly on his lower lip while he tried to remember that Gajeel had told him to trust that Lucy would be protected. She was the Iron Slayer's intended mate, so of course he would do everything to protect her. But… Lucy was also Ryos' sister, his only family, and his inner dragon was pleading with him to find out what exactly was happening.

There wasn't a whole lot of anything that Ryos could do if he went down to the guild. He wasn't strong enough right now to try and fight against any of the Fairies, but he could feel it in his gut that if they threatened Lucy… He would use every last bit of the strength and magic he possessed to keep her safe from harm. He was torn between going to find out if Lucy was alright and staying home at her request. After another even louder explosion sounded, Ryos jumped and got himself dressed as quickly as possible, fastening his new sword that he hadn't even been able to learn how to use properly yet to his belt. Once his shoes were on, Ryos looked around the apartment again and his eyes finally landed on the window. He could just go up to the roof and be able to see what was happening at the guild. Technically, he wasn't leaving the building so Lucy couldn't get upset with him. He just needed to know what was going on.

Once Ryos was up on the roof, he gasped in horror when he saw several large plumes of black smoke rising from the guild hall only a few blocks away. People were running away in fear down in the street below, very few actually willing to stand and gawk at the spectacle of a war between guilds, and their screams only added to the sense of dread that filled Ryos' small frame. Lucy was in there somewhere. She was fighting the ones that threatened to take her away. "God, please be okay, big sister," Ryos whispered, sitting down and pulling his knees to his chest while he whimpered and watched the guild from a distance.

* * *

Lucy frowned and leaned back against a pillar as her legs swung lazily from the rafter she was perched on. Fairy Tail had broken down the doors of the guild and everyone below had immediately jumped into an all-out brawl. The Fairies were wiping the floor with the Phantom members below, and it just made Lucy sick. She and Gajeel had only been inside for a few minutes before they finally arrived, and she was waiting for the Slayer to give her the word to drop down and join the fun. Apparently, she and Gajeel were the two most powerful mages present, since he'd told her outside that Master Jose wasn't even at the guild today—that what he'd said to them all earlier was only a thought projection, and he was really at the guild's headquarters.

"Jose!" Makarov bellowed, his eyes glowing a brilliant yellow while he towered over the pathetic runts that had dared to hurt his children. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

Lucy raised an eyebrow at the gigantic guild master and felt a trickle of fear run through her. She and Gajeel were perfectly placed far away from the old man's destructive path, but it didn't make him any less scary.  _No wonder he's one of the Ten Wizard Saints,_  she thought in wonder,  _He's a monster._

"Arggh!" Erza shouted as she requipped to her Flame Empress armor and started another series of attacks on the Phantom members. "Tell me! Where can I find Gajeel and the Element Four?!" If anyone would know where Lucy was at, it would be the highest ranking members of the guild. Based on the description Levy had given Erza of the man that had kidnapped Lucy, Erza knew it was Black Steel Gajeel himself. If the Requip mage could find him, then she was sure that he would point her in the right direction concerning Lucy's whereabouts. Even if she had to beat it out of him.

Gajeel chuckled and shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest while he glanced over at Lucy. "Ah, the legend herself: Titania Erza. I guess Laxus and Mystogan are too scared to play. Or do they not care?"

Lucy giggled and shook her head, drawing Gajeel's attention to her and giving him a sweet smile. "Laxus is a prick that only seems to give a shit about himself from what I've heard," she said, "And Mystogan is probably the most mysterious of all the members. No way would either of them have showed up for this."

"Either way, Master Jose knew exactly how this was going to go down. Looks like they're pretty good fighters… for a bunch of bitch babies," Gajeel retorted with a smirk, reveling in the sweet laugh that bubbled out of Lucy.

"See? Now you understand what a bitch baby is," Lucy teased.

Gajeel chuckled and shook his head at her. "Only because some psycho decided to enlighten me." He watched Lucy slowly stand up and slink across the rafter they were both on until she was standing directly in front of him with a sensual gleam in her eyes. "Damn, Bunny," he whispered, pulling the feisty blonde into his arms until she was flush against his chest.

"What?" Lucy asked innocently, nibbling on her lower lip while her hands trailed up Gajeel's chest.

"You're insatiable," Gajeel replied with a wicked grin. "I can smell just how hot you are. What, is all that fighting turning you on?"

"Not nearly as much as it would if  _you_  were doing it," Lucy whispered. "What did I say about calling me crazy?"

Gajeel chuckled and brought her lips to his, instantly plunging his tongue into her waiting mouth and deepening the kiss when Lucy moaned. He trailed a series of short kisses over to her ear, then whispered, "No point in denying it. You're fucking insane." When Lucy huffed and pouted, Gajeel grinned and continued, separating his words with soft kisses. "My beautiful…" A kiss to her cheek. "Intelligent…" Another to the opposite cheek. "Sweet…" A kiss to the tip of her nose. "Psychotic little Bunny." His lips hovered just over hers as he watched a blush dusting across her cheeks and a soft smile pulling up the corners of her mouth. "Crazy enough to stick with me and kick some Fairy ass. All with a smile on your face."

Lucy nearly got lost in those crimson eyes that were openly shining with pure adoration, but just before she closed the distance between them, she whispered, "Crazy enough to want you forever."

Gajeel was utterly shocked by what Lucy had said, but he still found it in himself to wrap his arms tightly around her and crush the petite woman to his chest while his mouth ravaged hers.  _She wants me forever?,_ he thought incredulously. Sure, he had hoped that she would agree to be his mate, but he also figured that it would come with a long argument over him not telling her sooner, followed by fuck only knows how long it would take her to decide what she wanted to do about it. Lucy saying something like that, in that moment, had Gajeel itching to be inside of her. He suddenly wasn't afraid to tell her at all, but he definitely wasn't going to do it right before they went into a serious fight. Afterwards? Definitely. Possibly even right after it was done, before they even went home to spend the rest of their night with Ryos. He wanted her, all of her, and now all he had to do was wait until the Fairies had been handled and Gajeel would gladly lay it all out for Lucy. Hell, he wasn't even worried about dealing with her old man before telling Lucy about wanting her as a mate. If she said yes, then the fucker wouldn't be able to do a damn thing to keep them apart. With Fairy Tail out of the way, Gajeel wouldn't have a care in the world concerning Lucy's freedom, and their shared happiness, because he'd always keep her safe.

Clearly, Lucy had done  _something_ right based on the way that Gajeel had started feeling her up. She wasn't entirely sure what it was that she'd done to make him lose control like this, but she sure as shit wasn't going to complain about it. Lucy had already admitted once that she was a 'psycho' to Gajeel, but that was because he was the only person that said she was crazy and actually meant it in a good way. Everyone else? Yeah, not so much. She could barely hear the random explosions that were happening beneath them between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail while she succumbed to every flick of Gajeel's deliciously pierced tongue as it danced with her own, and when he finally pulled away she instinctually followed him, wishing to prolong the wonderful torture he subjected her to.

Gajeel growled and lightly nibbled on Lucy's lower lip. "Once this shit's done, I'm gonna fuck you so hard you won't be able to walk for a week," he rasped.

"I hope that's a promise," Lucy purred, finally finding the will to put a little bit of distance between herself and Gajeel.

"Damn right it is," Gajeel replied, glancing down at the fighting below them and grinning when he saw the little Fairy guild master knocking Phantom members out of his way like flies as he ascended the stairs.  _Just like Master Jose said he would,_  Gajeel thought.

"Erza, I'll leave the rabble to you!" Makarov shouted when he finally reached the second floor. Once he heard Erza's affirmative reply, he lowered his voice and scowled. "Jose must be lurking on the top floor. When I find him there'll be hell to pay."

Lucy's grin matched Gajeel's when Makarov used a portion of his magic to completely decimate the doors on the second floor that led towards Master Jose's office. She giggled softly and laced her fingers with Gajeel's, looking up into his eyes lovingly while she whispered. "Soon, Black Steel? I need some Fairy blood on my hands."

"Just a little longer, Bunny. We've gotta wait for Makarov to get far enough away," Gajeel answered, raising their linked hands and pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. He let her hand go and moved so her back was pressed to his chest, his arms loosely wrapped about her waist and his head on her shoulder. "Time to get in the right mindset," he whispered, grinning when Lucy shivered. He knew that he had to get the both of them thinking about the task at hand and not what they wanted to do later on. He needed to focus on his rage to take these little pieces of shit down, and Lucy was always a much better fighter when she was pissed and trying to kill everything.

"How so?" Lucy asked, watching the fighting continue and narrowing her eyes when she saw the Card mage, Cana, using three cards to hit several guild members with jolts of electricity.

Gajeel growled and said, "They're trying to take you, Bunny. They don't give a fuck that you're happy here, that you ran away for a good fucking reason, or that you'll be miserable if you go back there. If they win, you'll lose everything: me and Ryos, your keys, the guild, your freedom, your choices. Those Fairies are trying to force you to go back to your old man's so he can treat you like a whore." While he was talking, Lucy's hands had been lightly trailing over his forearms, but as he continued her grip on them tightened until her nails were digging into his flesh.

"They won't win," Lucy ground out.

"They will if we don't fight," Gajeel countered. "You're mine, Bunny. I won't let you get away, and I'll kill anyone who even tries."

"So will I…"

Gajeel's growl deepened as he added, "If you're gone, I'll be lost again. You're what makes me happy, Bunny. If they take you away, and I can't get you back, I'll be alone. I told you that I can't lose you, and it'll kill me if it happens. I need you to protect what's yours, Bunny. Don't let them—" He stopped talking completely when he felt Lucy's nails breaking the flesh in his arms while her body shook from the rage that was pouring off of her. While he was already well on his way to killing every single Fairy in sight, with his inner dragon standing tall and proud inside and ready to jump into the fray, Lucy was a whole other story. It seemed that the motivation she needed was exactly what Gajeel had said, and he found that it wasn't all that shocking that he'd told her the truth of what would happen to him if she was taken away. Gajeel was willing to protect Lucy no matter what, and he needed her to protect him as well. She'd stolen his heart, and Gajeel needed her to protect it fiercely, because if his Bunny was ripped from his life, he had no clue what would happen to him.

"That. Won't. Happen," Lucy seethed. After a few short breaths, she said, "You protect me, and I'll do the same, Gajeel. You'll never be alone again, and I'll make sure those little fuckers understand just that."

"You're goddamn right," Gajeel agreed with a nod, glaring down at the Fairies that had threatened everything that was his. "Now that their little boss man's outta the way, it's about time we throw ourselves into the mix, don't you think?"

Lucy nodded and rested a hand over her new whip, complete with Gajeel's own iron for the spikes that were jutting out along its length. "Make me proud, Black Steel," she whispered.

"I always will, little Bunny," Gajeel said, nuzzling her neck for only a second. "It's show time."

With a wicked grin and a thrill of excitement, Lucy felt Gajeel loosen his grip on her waist only to grab her hand and jump off of the rafters. Once they were in the air, Lucy could hear him cackling wildly, and she couldn't help but mirror it with a light and sadistic laugh. These Fairies had no clue what kind of hell they had unleashed in threatening her and Gajeel's happiness, but Lucy was determined to show them just what happens when you cross Phantom Lord.

 


	14. Arc 1: Phantom Lord vs. Fairy Tail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides with Episode 22.
> 
> Also, Her Phantom will be going through all of the major canon events (Edolas, Tenrou, Infinity Clock, and GMG). The end results of those events may or may not change (I can't tell you otherwise it'll ruin the suspense), but I won't be delving into the Eclipse Celestial Arc or Tartarus.

 

A violent crack of wood split through the air and instantly silenced the surrounding battles in the Phantom Lord guild hall. Both Fairy Tail and Phantom mages alike stilled as a truly menacing aura steadily flowed from the now decimated sign that was once boldly emblazoning the wall above the bar with the Phantom name. As a large shadow appeared above the ruined sign, slowly standing from a crouch with a deep, rumbling laugh that bordered on utter madness, there was a collective gasp that ran through the room.

"Is that…" one among the crowd whispered, though it wasn't clear if it was a Fairy or Phantom mage.

"It's gotta be," came the hushed reply as the figure stood tall and proud, red eyes catching the light with a malevolent glint and piercing through the billowing dust that surrounded him.

Erza narrowed her eyes on the man, seeing for the first time the proof of his own element in the piercings that adorned his face and arms, the wild mane of raven-black hair that added to his look of insanity. "It's the Iron Dragon Slayer, Black Steel Gajeel."

Nab vaulted himself into the air, his anger at an all-time high as he tried to attack the Iron Slayer. "You attacked Levy!" he shouted, pulling his arm back and attempting to punch the horrendous mage that had hurt one of their own.

Lucy slyly peeked around Gajeel's shoulder to get a general idea of her enemies' placement throughout the guild, and saw the Animal Possession mage launching himself into the air. "That's Nab," Lucy whispered, leaning her back against Gajeel's and keeping herself hidden for the time being. "Weak as fuck. Take him out."

Gajeel smirked and sent his arm out in the form of an iron pole, connecting solidly with Nab's stomach and sending him barreling into the ground. Wanting to add just a little more pain to the mix, Gajeel kept extending his arm, forcing the mage to scrape roughly along the ground and even knocking out a dozen of his own Phantom guild mates in the process. When Gajeel heard Lucy giggling behind him, then felt her slender body shift so her chest was pressed to his back, he couldn't help but grin widely at the devastation he'd already caused.

"Mmm," Lucy hummed against Gajeel's back, "Love you, Black Steel. Go have some fun. I wanna watch them suffer for a minute."

Gajeel chuckled and whispered, "My pleasure, little Bunny. Don't take too long, or there won't be any left." He jumped down onto the first floor as the Fairy Tail mages stood stock-still, a couple voicing their confusion that he would hit his own guild mates with an attack, and let his arm shift back. Gajeel clenched his fist and drew all the attention to himself by laughing as he said, "Show me what you've got. Unless you pussies are too scared to face the great Iron Dragon Slayer."

Lucy smiled and crossed her arms under her chest, inadvertently hiding her guild mark from sight, and watched as Elfman lunged at Gajeel, turning one massively muscular arm into stone.  _That's right,_  she thought as Elfman started yelling,  _He always talks about things being manly…_

Gajeel laughed and shifted his forearm into iron to block the silver-haired mage's attack. "You're Elfman, right?" he asked with a cocky grin. He distinctly remembered this guy being one of the last three people to leave Fairy Tail the night he attacked their guild hall.

Lucy took her time to look around the guild, trying to decide who she would go after first. It seemed that the spectacle of Gajeel's arrival and subsequent fight had drawn everyone's attention towards him and Elfman. She really couldn't decide who she would rather face off against, since each and every Fairy that was present was clearly trying to steal her away and they all needed to pay dearly. Lucy was able to see Gray, Loke, Natsu, Cana, and Erza clear as day throughout the crowd—along with Reedus based on his sheer size alone; although, she was slightly disconcerted that he had pulled his shirt up to use his Picto Magic with his gargantuan stomach acting as an easel. What caught her off-guard was the sight of a small blue cat with wings that was hovering just next to Natsu. She couldn't possibly imagine a cat doing much damage in a fight, and although the darker part of herself wanted nothing more than to rip each and every Fairy apart, she couldn't bring herself to even consider hurting the little thing.  _'There are some lines I just won't cross,'_  she thought,  _'No matter how much I may hate those Fairies, hurting a little cat is just sick.'_

The slightest movement in the corner of Natsu's eye drew his attention from the fight between Elfman and Gajeel, and his eyes widened when he looked up to see the blonde girl they were here to rescue standing in the same place that Gajeel had descended from. "Lucy," he said as his obsidian eyes locked with hers. He watched her raise a single delicate eyebrow, her eyes never leaving his and her head cocking to the side. He couldn't understand why she was just standing there instead of trying to make a break for it, especially since everyone seemed to be wrapped up in the only fight that was currently happening.

"What are you staring at, Flame—" Gray started, turning to follow Natsu's line of sight to see the girl they were searching for standing on the second floor and watching everything unfold. "What the hell?" She didn't look afraid or like she'd been harmed in any way. If anything, she looked upset about something if the way her hip was cocked out to one side and her arms were crossed were any indication. He couldn't help but appreciate how she looked right then as he thought,  _'Hey, I'm a guy… It's what we do.'_  Lucy was wearing less than she had the day he and Loke had met her on the train, but he definitely wasn't complaining in the slightest since she looked absolutely edible.

Elfman's eyes widened when Gajeel sent several pillars of iron shooting out in random directions from the iron leg he had in his grasp. None of them went to attack him, but instead shot away and hit several more Phantom members. "But, they're Phantom! You would attack your own men?!"

Gajeel grinned and pulled his fist back, shifting it into an iron pole as he said, "Because I knew it'd distract ya!" Without hesitation, he sent the pole flying forward into Elfman's face, knocking the Takeover mage into the air.

Natsu growled and broke away from the blonde woman's gaze when he sensed something hurtling towards him. Apparently Gajeel had sent Elfman flying, so Natsu decided to take it upon himself to get in on the action. "Don't worry, Lucy!" he shouted, setting his fist on fire while jumping into the air and using Elfman's chest to launch himself towards Gajeel. "We'll save you!"

Lucy stayed completely still while Natsu's fist connected with Gajeel's face, sending him hurtling towards her own personal bar stool and crushing the bar beneath him. "Yeah right," she scoffed.

As Gajeel groaned and dusted himself off, Natsu growled again and said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayer."

Gajeel smirked and stood up, taking Natsu's momentary distraction while he argued with Elfman to get his bearings from the hit.  _'This should be interesting,'_  he thought,  _'Maybe I'll have a real challenge.'_  He'd heard Natsu shouting that Fairy Tail would save Lucy, so that let him know that they were all very aware of his little blonde's presence. One quick glance towards the decimated balcony only showed him barely concealed rage that flashed behind her eyes, and Gajeel growled low in his throat before shouting, " _Iron Dragon Club_!"

Erza watched in horror as a large magic circle appeared in front of Gajeel's fist, sending out an enormous iron club that was heading straight for Natsu. She couldn't believe that she hadn't seen Lucy before Natsu had shouted out her name, but Erza was torn between letting the two Dragon Slayers fight it out and going to the girl, or stopping them before Natsu was injured too badly. Black Steel Gajeel was well known for being ruthless, his reputation preceding him and sending fear streaking through the hearts of anyone with a brain when they heard he was coming. Erza knew that Natsu was a strong and resilient mage, but she wasn't so sure that he would be able to withstand the brutality someone like Gajeel could and would willingly dole out. The iron club connected with Natsu, forcing him to slide back along the stone floor, and she worriedly shouted out his name.

Natsu's anger was rising with each passing moment, but he was finally able to stop the powerful attack that Gajeel had launched at him without warning. His hands were wrapped around the iron club that had nearly knocked the wind out of him, and there were thick plumes of steam rising from the metal as his body started heating up uncontrollably. With his head down, Natsu clenched his eyes tightly as his inner dragon roared with conviction to protect and avenge the wrongs that had been committed against his family. "You destroyed our guild hall," Natsu said through tightly gritted teeth, "And you attacked Levy and her team." He channeled his magic into his hands, igniting them once more against the iron club. "I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!" he roared, using all of his strength to lift Gajeel into the air and throw him up towards the rafters.

Lucy sneered and ground her teeth together when Gajeel sprung back from the rafters, sending himself flying back towards the enraged salmon-haired mage.  _'You Fairies fucking deserved it,'_  she thought. Her eyes widened when Gajeel's punch was blocked, only for Natsu's other flaming fist to connect with his face and send him barreling into a wall across the room.

"Whoo-hoo-hoo," Wakaba chuckled, "The kid's fired up now."

"Yeah, I'd hate to be that other guy," Macao said, jokingly nudging Wakaba with his elbow.

Erza smiled and looked over at the panting Fire Slayer as she said, "He's quite the wizard."

Elfman sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright, fine. You're manlier than I thought. I'll let you have this one, but you're gonna promise me that you—"

Natsu turned around to face Elfman with his signature grin in place. "You bet," he said cheerfully, "I'll beat him to a pulp!"

Without a second thought, Lucy dropped down from the second floor, pulling out her whip in the process. She felt everyone's eyes shoot towards her as her anger rose, a deadly aura surrounding her and increasing with each measured step she took.  _'No one hurts my Dragon,'_  she thought.  _'This kid doesn't stand a chance against Gajeel.'_

"Oh, shit," one Phantom member whispered. "The psycho came out to play…"

"This isn't good," another said, the two of them taking a few steps further from the insane blonde woman that was advancing towards the Fairy Tail mage.

"I don't fucking think so," Lucy seethed, pulling her arm back and quickly lashing out at Natsu with her whip. His head turned towards her at the last second, his eyes widening in utter shock as they landed on her guild mark, and the force of Lucy's hit sent him tumbling backwards with a small bit of his blood splattering on the stone floor. "Stupid piece of shit. You'll be lucky to make it out of here in one piece!"

Every member of Fairy Tail stared at the raging blonde, their eyes instantly falling to the Phantom Lord guild mark on her abdomen. Erza's eyes narrowed as she asked, "Why is there a guild mark on you where Levy was mutilated?!"

Lucy giggled and tilted her head to the side with a sadistic grin on her face, then snapped her whip off to the side, keeping her legs spread wide as she held a defensive stance. "Black Steel!" she shouted, never taking her eyes from Titania's. "Nap time's over, get your ass out here and handle your shit!"

Erza ground her teeth together and pointed a sword in Lucy's direction. "Answer me! Why is there—"

Lucy raised a single eyebrow, that same wicked grin curving her lips up cruelly. "Isn't it obvious, Erza? I'm a Phantom."

Gray's eyes were wide in shock at what he'd seen. It wasn't often that someone was able to catch Natsu off-guard, and Lucy had actually  _hit_  the guy with her weapon. He couldn't believe what he was seeing at all, and figured he must have fallen into some strange alternate universe.  _'How could this be the same sweet girl we met on the train?!'_  Lucy's eyes were wide and seemingly innocent, but the way she was smiling—while talking back to  _Erza_  of all people—had him rethinking his previous view of her entirely.

"What the hell?!" Natsu bellowed, jumping to his feet and pressing a hand to his cheek. When he pulled it away, his fingers were coated in blood. "We're here to save you, why'd you attack me?!"

Lucy giggled again when Gajeel's fist plowed through the rubble that had fallen on top of him, lightly biting her lower lip and pulling out her keys. "Hope you were having sweet dreams, lazy ass," she taunted as he walked up to stand next to her. She twirled her key ring around her finger and eyed their opponents with a cold and calculating eye. "You can have the  _baby dragon_  over here. I'll find some other Fairies to maim."

"Hop to it, Psycho," Gajeel said with a wicked grin, chuckling when he saw the familiar golden glint of Lucy's keys. He almost wished that Lucy had stayed up on the second floor, because then he knew that she would be out of the line of fire, but his inner dragon was thoroughly satisfied with the fact that she took it upon herself to attack the Slayer that had knocked him across the guild. Even the way she instantly handed the fight back over to him was just one more tick on the pros side of being with a woman like her. Lucy knew what boundaries were, even when it came to fighting, and she didn't overstep them unless there were extremely extenuating circumstances.

Loke's eyes widened even further when he realized what was about to happen. They'd miscalculated, made a mistake somewhere along the lines, and now Lucy was fighting  _against_  them instead of trying to get away from Phantom Lord. He saw her single out a golden key, and waited with bated breath to see which of his old friends he would be forced to fight against.  _'Please… Please tell me she doesn't have Aries…'_

"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull!" Lucy shouted, thrusting the key into the air before her as a magic circle appeared. "Taurus!"

"MOOO!" Taurus bellowed, wielding his axe wildly as he appeared and then standing protectively in front of Lucy. "I'll protect your beautiful body, Luuuucy!"

"Taurus, you know the drill," Lucy said firmly. "Give it everything you've got against these Fairies!" Lucy watched as Taurus stiffened and let out an enraged howl before he slid his axe behind him on the ground, and she stealthily moved to stand on the blade. "Now!" she shouted, cackling wildly and lashing out with her whip while Taurus arced the axe over his head and sent her flying. It wasn't long before she lost track of him in the ensuing battle, though Lucy was able to hear his attacks flying off. She wanted to watch Gajeel fighting, but she had a job to do as well. When Lucy looked down, she saw that she was headed straight for a wide-eyed Cana Alberona that was standing protectively in front of the still unconscious Nab.

Cana squared her shoulders and withdrew her cards to throw an attack at the advancing blonde, but in the blink of an eye, a searing pain ripped through her arm when Lucy's whip wrapped around it. The metallic spikes along the whip dug into her forearm painfully, piercing the flesh and threatening to start tearing long slashes when she felt Lucy jerking on the whip. With a garbled cry, Cana fell to her knees and was flooded with relief when the whip was retracted swiftly.

"Aww, poor widdle Cana got a boo-boo, huh?" Lucy taunted, tensing for a second and dropping to a crouch when she sensed something flying her way. Not a second after she was down, Lucy watched Gajeel soar over her head and into a group of stunned Phantom mages, then immediately launch himself past her with a fearsome growl rumbling through him. She sneered at the brunette as they both stood to their feet, and watched thick crimson rivulets flowing down Cana's arm and dripping from her fingertips to the ground.

Cana quickly threw three cards towards Lucy, deciding that she wanted to just incapacitate the girl to try and figure out what the hell she was thinking. All three cards became engulfed in flames as they zoomed through the air towards the blonde, and Cana waited only a second before sending out a second volley of cards just before Lucy slashed the first set away with her whip.

Lucy's eyes narrowed when she saw the second set of flaming cards flying towards her. Clearly, regardless of how much alcohol Cana ingested on a daily basis, the girl was smart. Lucy dove to her left and cried out in pain when the left-most card burnt a small portion of her calf. She quickly rolled and brought herself up into a crouch while sneering at the brunette. "Is that all? Come on, why don't you at least make it a decent fight?" Lucy ground out as she tried to ignore the dulling pain in her leg. "Maybe  _that's_  why you still haven't made S-Class…"

Cana gave Lucy a calculating look as she said, "I don't want to fight you, Lucy. We're just trying to make Phantom pay for hurting our family."

Lucy grinned and stood to her feet, snapping her whip quickly to the side and giggling when she heard Alzack drop his pistol. As she looked back at Cana, Lucy cocked her head to the side and asked, "Why do you think they got attacked in the first place?"

Cana's eyes went wide when she really took notice of where Lucy's Phantom guild mark was at.  _'But, that's where… Oh god, Levy!'_  She clenched her fists and shouted, "What did they do to deserve that?!"

Lucy sighed and coiled her whip, settling it back on her belt, then took slow steps towards Cana as she said in a silky voice, "Honestly, it's not  _entirely_  their fault. They were just trying to do the right thing. I really hate that we're even fighting to begin with, since it's just a big tug of war that has me as the fucking rope." Lucy circled around behind Cana, smiling widely when the Card mage stayed in place and only turned her head to keep an eye on Lucy. "Take a look at all of this fighting. And, for what?" she whispered.

"Phantom destroyed our guild and hurt our family," Cana seethed. "That's reason enough, regardless of whether or not you were here."

"Oh, that's true… But, I  _am_  here. And Erza's got a special S-Class request to pick me up and take me back to that son of a bitch. Did your guild master even  _question_  it at all? Or was he too concerned with how much money my dad's willing to pay to get me back? Isn't it a little odd that he'd be willing to pay so much for me?"

"You're his daughter!" Cana shouted.

Lucy snorted, then grinned as she lifted her leg and swiftly kicked the back of Cana's knee. As soon as the woman was on the ground, Lucy dropped down and flipped her onto her back. She quickly straddled Cana and wrapped a hand around her throat just like Gajeel had done countless times to her during training. "I might be his daughter by blood," she whispered, "But he doesn't fucking see me that way. Levy, Jet, and Droy  _all_  got what they fucking deserved for not keeping their goddamn mouths shut about seeing me here. I wasn't being kidnapped."

Cana gasped for air as Lucy's grip around her throat tightened, and clawed at the slender arm in an attempt to pry the surprisingly strong hand from her.  _'This chick really is a psycho,'_  she thought as small black dots started filling her vision.

"I personally don't think he should have let them live, but I guess he wanted to make more than just the three of them suffer," Lucy said with a wicked grin. "So sweet like that, y'know? If you make it out of here alive, then you can blame Team Shadowgear for what's coming. If you fucking Fairies hadn't threatened me, this wouldn't be  _nearly_  as bad. I wouldn't have been as hellbent on snuffing you all out, because it wouldn't have been personal for me. I might have even been willing to show you mercy…"

Cana gritted her teeth and punched Lucy in the face again and again until finally the surprisingly resilient woman loosened her grip and dropped to the ground beside her. Cana sucked in as much air as she could while she pulled out two Tower cards with a grimace.  _'This might be overkill, but… I've gotta take her down!'_ Cana heard the snap of a whip as Lucy unfurled it, and she quickly scrambled to her feet. She rounded on the enraged blonde and held up the two cards, her mouth set in a grim line of determination. Summoning her magic into her hand, Cana threw the cards to the ground between them and called out, " _Thunderbolt's Fate!_ "

Lucy was blinded by a brilliant flash of light, and screamed in agony as a bolt of lightning struck down from above. Her body tensed and spasmed, her back arching at an unnatural angle while electricity coursed through her. The spell Cana had used seemed to last forever as far as Lucy was concerned, but suddenly everything came to a crashing halt and she dropped to her hands and knees on the ground.

"Cana!" Alzack shouted in outrage as he ran up to the Card mage. He'd never imagined she would use one of her more powerful spells against the girl they were here to rescue— _'Then again, maybe_ _ **rescue**_ _isn't the right word,'_  he thought—and he knew he had to stop her. "Stop the spell, you could seriously hurt her!"

"Well, maybe she deserves to feel some pain!" Cana shouted, rounding on Alzack with a deep scowl. "She's  _glad_  that they got hurt! Someone's gotta teach this snob that shit like that isn't a joke!"

When he heard a loud thump, Alzack turned to see the spell had ended, leaving a panting Lucy on her hands and knees, with a few portions of her already skimpy clothing singed and smoking slightly. Just as he was about to move forward to help Lucy to her feet and try to get her out of the fighting inside of the guild, he heard something that made him stop dead in his tracks.

Lucy coughed and then started laughing while she slowly stood up, wobbling slightly and fighting against the painful jolts of electricity that seemed to still course through her. "Don't worry, Gun Boy," she said with a wicked grin, "You'll have your turn to die later on, right alongside your little Sniper Bitch. Cana here's finally taking the fight seriously, so why don't you run along?"

"You're fucking insane!" Cana shouted, drawing out three cards and preparing for another attack.  _'How is she standing up from that so soon?! There's no way she could still be conscious after that spell!'_  she thought incredulously.

Lucy's grin widened and she tipped her head from side to side, then said, "You know… I hear that a lot. I'm usually a pretty nice person… until people threaten to have me fucking  _locked up_  for the rest of my goddamn life."

"What are you talking about?" Alzack asked, gripping his pistols tighter and preparing for an attack from the blonde. "No one's trying to lock you up."

"Oh?" Lucy asked with wide eyes, her eyebrows shooting up in mock surprise. "Then what do you call it, Pistol Pete?"

Cana sneered and shook her head as she said, "Alzack, go on. I've got this. Someone needs to teach the little heiress a lesson in manners." Her eyes narrowed when Lucy started cackling again, lashing her whip out in the process and crouching into a defensive stance. " _No one_  attacks our family and gets away with it."

Lucy continued laughing wildly as she and Cana traded blows, with cards of varying spells flying in every direction and Lucy either dodging them or lashing at them with her whip. They were blow for blow against one another: every hit that Lucy took, Cana took one as well. Lucy laughed and snapped her whip again at Cana's card-holding hand, watching as an angry red line appeared across her palm and her cards scattered across the floor. "Hey, Lush," Lucy crooned. "What's the matter, only had two barrels of beer for breakfast this morning?"

Cana's eyes went wide in shock, then she firmed her resolve and lunged at Lucy. With some insane amount of luck, Cana was able to pin the blonde to the ground, but she honestly felt like she was dealing with a smaller feminine version of Bickslow with the way Lucy was cackling. The only thing that was missing was a perverted comment or two and a long tongue hanging from the girl's mouth. "What the fuck?!" she yelled, pinning Lucy's hands to the floor and ignoring the raging battles that had resumed around them. "We're just trying to help you!"

Lucy's laughter abruptly halted and she sneered at the brunette on top of her. "If you wanted to help, you would have left me the hell alone!" she replied, her voice venomously quiet. "I'm never going back there, and your pathetic excuse for a guild can't do a  _damn_  thing to change that!"

"Have they brainwashed you or something?" Cana asked incredulously. "You're father's worried sick, and he hired us to  _rescue_  you!"

"Worried sick, huh?" Lucy rolled her eyes and let out a humorous laugh. "If he was so 'worried' about me, then why is he saying I went missing a month ago? I've been gone for _over six months_ , and he probably only just fucking noticed."

"So, what… You're just gonna act like a brat?!" Cana shouted, her anger rising with both how aggravating this whole situation was and the dwindling amount of alcohol in her system. "At least you've  _got_  a dad that wants you!"

Lucy cackled again, throwing her head back as much as she could while she was pinned to the ground. "That's… Oh, man… That's really fucking funny!" she choked out between laughs. "That bastard doesn't give a flying fuck about me!"

"Then why would he hire us?!"

"Because he just wants me back so he can sell me like a piece of goddamn property!" Lucy screeched.

Cana didn't have a chance to react to Lucy's words, instead barely feeling the blonde shift beneath her before two slender legs lifted up and wrapped around her bikini-clad chest. Cana groaned once she was roughly slammed into the ground head-first, and felt her head swimming while she tried to remain conscious.

Lucy locked her ankles over Cana's throat and quickly sat up. She glowered at the dizzy brunette and said, "It's been great chatting with you, Cana…" She paused and grinned when she felt the Card mage pass out from a lack of oxygen. "But, I've got some of your  _family_  to kill for threatening me." As Lucy untangled herself from the unconscious brunette and stood up to see a shocked Alzack staring at her, she thought,  _'Hey, that was a pretty good fight. If I ever meet up with this chick again, I might just have to go for a second round!'_

* * *

Gajeel grinned when he saw Taurus running wild through the guild, swinging his axe and causing quake after quake as he rampaged through Phantoms and Fairies alike. He turned to look at Natsu who had just gone flying into a wall from a kick to his abdomen. "Aww, what's the matter? You can dish it out but ya can't take it?" he taunted, watching as Natsu's ignited body sent rubble flying off in every direction.

Taurus didn't want anyone to force Lucy to go back to her father's. The previous Earthland day, she had summoned Virgo and explained everything that was going on, and the pink-haired maid had returned to the Spirit World to relay Lucy's message to her other spirits. The buxom blonde was expecting these people to come after her and try to force her back into a life with no magic, no keys, and no freedom, and she needed each of her spirits' help in making sure their keys never ended up in the wrong hands. Lucy swore to protect their keys with her life when each of their contracts were made, and though they couldn't easily die, each of her spirits silently vowed to do the same for her. His job wasn't that difficult, especially since there were only humans in the guild. Lucy had set out very specific rules for her spirits after joining Phantom Lord:  _"Anyone that gets in your way can be incapacitated, but_ _ **do not**_ _kill any humans."_  His perfect, bodacious key-holder and dear friend knew that they would carry the guilt of taking a human's life for their entire existence, so she took it upon herself to do it if it was a necessity. Her reasoning had been that she was a human, and didn't have very long to live with the guilt of taking another human's life in comparison to her spirits. Lucy took the burden, the guilt, and the sadness on herself to spare them from it… During the four Earthland months Lucy had been in Phantom Lord, not one of her spirits had killed anything other than monsters when they were summoned, and Taurus couldn't have been happier to have such a wonderful woman holding his key. "Moooo!" he bellowed as he swung his axe and jumped into the air. He was aiming for the armored red-head that was currently fighting against a whole group of Phantom mages, and swiftly brought his axe down to the ground, sending a shockwave through the floor and rubble flying off in various directions.

As Taurus lifted his axe and prepared to launch another attack in a different direction, he heard a small shriek of pain, then watched as a tiny blue blur fell to the ground. He furrowed his brow in confusion and bent down to inspect what it was, and found a tiny blue cat with white wings protruding from its back lying on the ground. Its fur was matted and sweaty, but its wide eyes stared up at the Bull spirit in terror as it tried to lift itself off of the ground. Once it was up on its feet, the blue cat jumped into the air and flapped its wings frantically as it tried to get away.

Happy cried out in pain again when each flap of his wings sent searing heat travelling from them and down his small spine. "N-Natsu!" he shouted, his eyes going wide when the huge bull that had hurt him gingerly picked him up in one hand. "NATSU, HELP ME!"

Taurus frowned and slowly knelt down, setting his axe to the side so it leaned against him should he need to defend himself. He could feel each tremble of the little talking cat's body as it sat frozen in his hand, so he brought his other hand up and carefully moved the white wings to see what had happened. The cat screamed again when Taurus stretched its right wing out, and that was when he saw a nick in the base of the wing where it met his furry blue back. "I'm sorr—"

"HAPPY!" Natsu bellowed as fear consumed him from seeing his best buddy in the hands of the thing Lucy had summoned. If she was their enemy, then anything she summoned was also their enemy, and with the way Happy had screamed for him, Natsu could only assume that the big bull was going to hurt him. Natsu grunted and rolled across the ground when an iron pole landed solidly against his head, but he didn't spare Gajeel a second glance as he shakily stood to his feet and felt his inner dragon roaring to life with the urge to protect his 'foster son'. "Stay the hell away from him!" Natsu shouted as he ran towards the bull that was holding onto Happy. He moved just a little to one side, then brought both fists to his mouth and inhaled deeply. Once the magic circled appeared in front of his hands, Natsu yelled, " _Fire Dragon's Roar_!"

Taurus barely had time to turn around before a swirling vortex of scorching fire engulfed him. His eyes went wide as his body was wracked with pain, and he screamed his agony to the stars above while the inferno continued to burn him. Taurus curled himself into a ball to protect the small cat he'd had in his grasp, hoping that at least the injured animal wouldn't suffer too badly once he disappeared back to the Spirit World. He'd always admired smaller creatures for their agility and grace, and Earthland's natural animals held a very special place in his ancient heart. It wasn't his intention to injure the little talking cat, and he wished more than anything right then that he'd been able to finish his apology. At least if Taurus was able to keep the frightened animal from being harmed, then maybe he could be forgiven for hurting it in the first place.

Lucy froze in place when the most intense heat she had ever experienced burst across her back. It felt as though she'd been sitting with her back to a fireplace for the past several hours, but it wasn't close enough to actually burn her. The single scream that ripped through the air had her blood running cold, and Lucy slowly turned with wide eyes to see that Taurus was completely engulfed in flames. "Taurus!" she whispered, throwing a hand over her mouth to stop the sob that wanted to crawl out of her at the treatment of her perverted and lovable spirit.

Taurus heard the barest remnant of Lucy's voice, and his eyes instantly sought hers out. He could feel her sadness, anger, and pain at what he was enduring, but all Taurus could do was force himself to smile just once before he disappeared. Lucy hated it when any of her spirits got hurt, and Taurus was the most physical of her spirits so he tended to get hurt more often. The least he could do for Lucy was to be as strong as possible; even though she knew he wouldn't actually be killed from the attack, it still broke her heart to see her spirits in pain. "I'm sorry, Luuuucy!" Taurus cried out as the last of his body dissipated and he was transported back to the Spirit World to heal.

Once the bull disappeared, Natsu stopped his attack and rushed over to see Happy on the ground. His fur was a little singed in places, but he otherwise didn't seem to be injured. "Little buddy, you alright?" he asked softly, worry lacing his voice.

"M-My wings… won't w-work," Happy cried. "I got hit…"

Gajeel stood utterly still with wide eyes as he looked at Natsu and the blue cat he called Happy. The guy had just taken out one of Lucy's spirits, and Gajeel knew just how protective she was over them. The fact that the cat was talking and had wings definitely surprised Gajeel, but once his eyes roamed across the guild hall to see Lucy staring with teary eyes at the place that Taurus had once occupied, he knew it wasn't going to end well.

"It's alright, Happy," Natsu said softly. "We'll get you looked at once we're done here. Just rest. That big bull-thing is gone."

"HE'S NOT A  _THING_ , YOU STUPID FUCKING PYRO!" Lucy screeched. She abandoned her fight with a random Fairy, and dodged between the people that were still standing between herself and Natsu. Lucy lashed out with her whip, hoping to catch him the way she had with the Card mage, but Natsu just turned and glared at her before wrapping a hand around her whip and yanking Lucy to the ground. She winced when her knees scraped along the stone floor, but Lucy put it out of her mind as she got back up and lunged at him.

"He hurt my friend!" Natsu shouted, cradling Happy protectively and sidestepping the fuming blonde. He felt Happy press a paw to his chest before jumping down and rushing over to Erza—the only person that Natsu knew could keep him safe. His fists ignited and he crouched low while he glared at Lucy. "Whatever that  _thing_  was, he hurt Happy!"

"Oh, man," a Phantom member whispered uncomfortably. "That's what she looks like while she's arguing with Gajeel…"

"She's gonna kill that kid," another said.

"I heard that the last person to hurt one of her spirits got his throat cut…"

Yet again, all the fighting in the guild came to a stand-still. Each of the Phantom Lord members, with the exception of Gajeel, were slowly backing away from where Lucy was at in the hopes of steering clear of the insane woman. Fairy Tail, on the other hand, was listening to the comments of the Phantom mages with intrigue and wondering what had made the girl snap. She truly looked psychotic in that moment as she sneered at Natsu and snapped her whip off to the side, her chest heaving and each breath hissing out through gritted teeth. There was a malicious gleam in Lucy's eyes that none of them would have believed could exist in her if they weren't seeing it for themselves, but all of Fairy Tail knew that she was no match for Natsu's flames.

"You're gonna fucking pay for hurting Taurus!" Lucy seethed. She lashed out at his legs with her whip, then dove to the ground and slid under Natsu while he jumped and tried to punch her. Lucy kicked one leg into the air and caught just behind his knee when he landed, causing the Fire Slayer's leg to buckle. She quickly rolled over and pounced on his back, locking her legs around his waist in a vice-like grip while she wrapped an arm across his throat and started to tighten it. "No one hurts my spirits and gets away with it, you pathetic piece of shit! I'll fucking kill you myself for what you've done!"

Gajeel crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. Normally, he would have hit someone that had interrupted his fight, especially when he was actually enjoying the challenge. The only problem was that Lucy had every right to attack the flaming idiot for hurting Taurus, and he knew that the Fairies were going to get one hell of a show since she was so upset. With a dark chuckle, Gajeel locked eyes with Lucy for a moment, then said, "Looks like Psycho Bunny really came out to play today. Try not to get yourself killed, Salamander. I'm not done with you, yet."

Natsu growled and lifted his still burning hands to Lucy's arm when he couldn't shake her off of him. She yelped in pain when he burnt her, but her grip only tightened and constricted his narrow airways even more. "I… don't… wanna fight… you," he rasped, finally getting a good hold on Lucy and throwing her across the room. He watched in surprise as Lucy jumped to her feet and rushed at him again once he was standing. He dodged the first few punches that Lucy threw at him, and started growling when he was torn between just beating the girl up since she was clearly their enemy—even though he always hated when he had to fight against girls, since he usually felt like crap for hitting them—or continuing to dodge until she got tired.

Lucy noticed the small distraction, and decided to put some of that gymnastics training she'd gotten while she was younger to use. She quickly slid back a couple of inches, then put her hands to the ground and arced her legs backwards over her body until they were wrapped around Natsu's waist. Tightening every muscle in her abdomen, and not caring in the slightest right then that her skirt had fallen subject to gravity to show everyone her lacy black panties, Lucy gripped Natsu and swung her legs back over her body, flinging him halfway across the guild and into a few stunned Phantom mages. She quickly righted herself, taking a moment to flatten her skirt and ensure that her ass wasn't still showing, then stalked towards the slightly stunned Fire Slayer. "Do you think I give a  _fuck_  if you wanna fight me?!" she yelled.

Natsu slowly stood up and growled low in his throat, shaking his head as he tried to figure out why he hadn't even seen that attack coming.  _'Why isn't she using her magic? Isn't she a summoner? I thought they just used their spirits to fight…,'_ he thought. They had all assumed that Lucy was some heiress that had been captured and couldn't get herself out of Phantom's clutches, but they were wrong. He didn't know the specifics of why she was in their guild, why she was fighting to stay there, or anything like that. What Natsu did know was that he couldn't underestimate this girl. Even though she was a summoner, Lucy seemed to have some pretty damn good hand-to-hand skills to back her up when she wasn't using her magic. He'd never met anyone who would use a move like that, except maybe Vijeeter—but that guy wasn't nearly as physically strong as Lucy was, so it probably wouldn't have had the same effect anyway.

Lucy sneered as she neared Natsu and feinted with a high arcing lash of her whip. When he dodged the attack and dove forward, she grabbed onto the white scarf and pulled one of the dangling ends over his head, using all of her strength to topple the Fire Slayer to the ground. "No one hurts my friends," Lucy ground out as she straddled his stomach—just high enough that he wouldn't be able to lift his hips and buck her off of him—then brought a solid punch down onto his still-covered face. "He's a spirit, not a  _thing_. Shitty little Fairy!" Over and over, Lucy brought her fists down onto Natsu, letting her fury consume her at the mistreatment of her spirit. She ignored the pain in her knuckles from the force of her blows, along with the pain in her wrists and arms as his flaming hands tried to make a grab for her.

"Get the hell off of me!" Natsu shouted, finally pulling his scarf from over his eyes.

Lucy stopped hitting Natsu, planting her hands on either side of his head while tears streamed down her cheeks. "He didn't deserve to get hurt…" she whispered brokenly. She saw Natsu's eyes widen when they locked onto hers, and several large droplets fell from her face down onto his cheeks while she hovered over him.

"I-I…" Natsu stuttered, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. The flames in his hands instantly died down when he saw Lucy crying once she finally stopped hitting him. The girl was wracked with sobs, and in that moment all Natsu wanted to do was comfort her and make up for hurting her friend. When he thought about it, Lucy reacted the same way to that bull getting hurt as he had to the bull hurting Happy.  _'I can't really blame her for trying to avenge her friend… I'd do the same thing…'_

Gajeel growled and flexed his hands into fists when he saw Lucy drop her head to Natsu's shoulder. It took everything he had not to march over to the flaming bastard and beat his skull into the ground when the little fucker wrapped his arms around her and started soothingly rubbing her back.  _'No one touches my Bunny like that but_ _ **me**_ _…'_  he thought. Even Gajeel's inner dragon was roaring out its displeasure over the fact that Lucy was being comforted by someone else—not just another person, but a male… and a Slayer, at that. He snarled as he heard her sniffle, watching as those beautifully dainty hands of hers sifted into Natsu's pink hair. With the way Lucy and Natsu had landed on the ground, Gajeel was able to see the tops of their heads from where he was standing. So, when Lucy slowly lifted her head and moved to whisper in Natsu's ear, it was only Gajeel that had the opportunity to catch her eye and see the mischievous and deadly glint in those perfect chocolate orbs.

Lucy grinned when she looked up and saw Gajeel. She'd heard his growl reverberating through the guild hall, and knew that she needed to act quickly before he lost his damn mind over someone else having his hands anywhere near her. Once Lucy had a good grip on Natsu's hair, her nose ghosted over the shell of his ear and she softly whispered, "I'm sorry…"

Gray, Loke, and Elfman—along with the other male members of Fairy Tail—gaped at the sight before them. Natsu, the guild's most clueless son of a bitch when it came to pretty much anything concerning the opposite sex, had a hot blonde in a mini-skirt on top of him and it looked like they were about to get down and dirty right there with how she started whispering in his ear while he held her.

"It's okay," Natsu whispered back, burying his nose in Lucy's shoulder and taking a deep breath. "I understand…"

Loke was the only one that was able to tear his eyes away from the sight of Lucy's skirt riding up and revealing her ass to everyone behind her. When he instinctively looked up at the Slayer that Natsu had been fighting against before, a sick feeling settled in his stomach when he saw the guy snarling with barely contained fury while he watched Lucy and Natsu.

Natsu's brow furrowed when he took in Lucy's scent. She smelled like cake… Exactly like cake, in fact. There was only one other person that he'd met that smelled like that, but this couldn't possibly be her.  _'That ninja girl on the rooftops a few days ago had black hair, not blonde…'_  When he took another whiff, trying to figure out if there was a difference between the two women's scents, his eyes shot open when he smelled metal and cinnamon—specifically Gajeel's scent—covering her skin.  _'What the…'_  His gaze instantly landed on a scabbed up bite mark that had previously been hidden by Lucy's hair, and his inner dragon froze in place at the implications of something like this if it came from the Iron Slayer.

Lucy smiled sadly at the salmon locks that were right in her line of sight. One of the things she had learned about Natsu from her time observing Fairy Tail was that no matter how dense he might be, the guy was loyal to a fault and protected the ones he cared about no matter what. Gray had begrudgingly admitted that, although they were rivals, he really admired Natsu's ability to forgive people.

Natsu tensed and got ready to push Lucy as far away from himself as he possibly could when he realized that the bite mark on her shoulder had larger punctures that were made by insanely sharp canines—much like any Dragon Slayer's teeth. If Gajeel bit her, then Natsu being this close to her really wasn't going to end well for him.  _'He wants to make her his mate…'_

Gajeel's inner dragon was raging wildly inside of him, roaring with all it was worth that the Fire Slayer was trying to take her from him in more ways than one. Not just by physically removing her to go back to her father, but in taking her as his mate. The longer he'd watched them, the harder it became to control his instincts. He could tell that Lucy had a plan based on the look she'd given him, but she was  _his_  and that meant that another male being near her… in  _that_  position… with his arms around her while she cried… It shattered any control he had over the dragon within, and Gajeel snarled wildly and stalked over to the two on the ground. He roughly yanked Lucy off of Natsu and tightened his grip on her upper arms when she started thrashing wildly.

"Let me go, Scrapmetal! I'm gonna rupture his goddamn ear drums!" Lucy screeched, giving it everything she had to try and wrench herself from Gajeel's grasp. She was just about to take a deep breath when she felt Natsu go rigid—thinking that her plan had been found out—and let out an ear-piercing screech in the hopes of damaging his highly sensitive ears, but Gajeel just  _had_  to tear her away from the fiery bastard before she could do some damage.

"Shut up," Gajeel growled.  _'So that's what she was planning,'_ he thought. Gajeel rolled his eyes and pulled her arms behind her back so her elbows were touching when Lucy kept trying to go after Natsu again. He was definitely loving this side of her, his inner dragon grinning widely at just how fiercely she protected those that she loved, but there was more than just Natsu for them to deal with. He had wanted to let her deal with Natsu for the sake of avenging Taurus, but now all he could smell was Natsu on her… all he wanted to do was cover her in his scent all over again to make sure that fucker knew it wasn't safe to touch her. "Chill the fuck out, Bu—"

"I WILL NOT CHILL THE FUCK OUT!" Lucy screeched, wriggling violently in Gajeel's grasp while she tried to get to Natsu and make him pay for hurting Taurus. "I'm gonna rip out his intestines and wear them as a fucking necklace!"

Natsu hopped to his feet with wide eyes and gaped at Lucy, finally realizing that her intent to actually mess with his hearing was why she'd gotten so close to him like that. He wanted to go after her for even thinking of messing with one of his senses just because they were heightened, but he could also see in Gajeel's furious crimson eyes that he was barely in control of his instincts to get another male's scent off of the blonde. The Iron Slayer's nostrils flared, his teeth were gritted and his jaw locked tight, while he tried to keep himself in control of the situation. Natsu knew there wasn't a whole lot of anything that he could do to get Gajeel to not kill him right then, but his instincts were telling him that he needed to make himself seem less threatening so that the guy could focus on the crazed blonde.  _'She'd make a good mate for a Slayer,'_  he thought,  _'She's acting just like we do…'_

"She's insane," Gray muttered with wide eyes. Sure, he and Natsu were rivals, and were nearly always fighting each other, but he never wanted to actually maim the squinty-eyed bastard… and he  _definitely_ didn't fuck with the guy's senses. Everyone knew just how sensitive Natsu's senses were because of his magic, and his nose had come in handy more times than they could count. It was an unspoken rule at Fairy Tail to leave those the hell alone. He watched, along with everyone else, as the young heiress that they had all assumed had been kidnapped fought against the iron grip of the pierced mage just to try and get at Natsu again. She wasn't anything like the girl that he and Loke met on the train. She had the same face, name, magic, and voice… But, this girl was psychotic.

"I swear to god, woman," Gajeel snarled, holding her arms together with one hand and roughly grabbing Lucy's hair before she could headbutt him while he tried to calm his inner dragon down again. The thing was working double-time to try and break through and kill Natsu for even  _thinking_  about touching his spitfire blonde, and Lucy's anger was registering as anger towards Natsu for touching her to the dragon—not for hurting her spirit. "Fuckin' shut the hell up for—"

Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord were staring at Lucy with their mouths hanging open at the threats she was shelling out with ease. One after another came spilling out her rapid-fire, with some extraordinarily graphic descriptions of just how she was planning on mutilating Natsu making most of the men cringe. Lucy's guild mates knew that she got like this when she was crossed, but it was usually reserved for Gajeel since he was the only one that intentionally pissed her off. Fairy Tail on the other hand could only see a blonde psychopath with hatred burning in her eyes and a feral sneer pulling at her plump lips.

"Let go, you rusty bucket of bolts!" Lucy yelled. "Give me five minutes with this fucker. I'll cut his goddamn legs off, drag his ass into the woods, and watch him get fucked to death by a moose!"

Loke nodded his agreement to Gray's assessment of Lucy being insane, but he couldn't help but watch in awe of her willingness to avenge her spirit right then. Once Taurus had been hurt—something that had pained him to see as he remembered just how excruciating it was to essentially die again and again in fights only to be sent back to the Spirit World—Lucy charged at the one responsible with a fiery vengeance. He'd seen a small glimpse of tears that streaked down her face when she dodged past him to get to Natsu, but instead of summoning another spirit Lucy was handling it on her own. No matter how badly he burnt her, Lucy didn't call on any other spirits for help and instead used a surprising amount of physical power to hurt the Dragon Slayer.  _Maybe she's not strong enough to summon another gold,_  he thought.  _Taurus was using a lot of power while he was here…_  Even now, Lucy was struggling to get to Natsu for hurting her spirit… Her  _friend_ , as she'd called the perverted bull. Lucy was most definitely psychotic in that moment, but Loke couldn't help but secretly wish that he'd had an owner even half as loyal to her spirits as Lucy was.

Gajeel clamped a hand over Lucy's mouth when she continued threatening Natsu—who, for his part, was staring at the feisty blonde with both paling fear and burning rage—and growled as he leaned down to her ear. "Bunny," he whispered, "There's more than just him. Handle the other Fairy Trash that's trying to take you away, and I'll teach this fucker a lesson for you  _and_  Taurus. If you keep this shit up, I'm gonna lose it… And  _not_  in a good way."

Lucy took several deep breaths, still glaring daggers at Natsu, and gave Gajeel a short nod. Gajeel's voice had dropped almost a whole octave while he spoke, and it was normally something that really only happened when they were in bed together while he was going wild. She knew that he'd gained a lot of draconic traits from his magic, and when she actually took the time to pay attention Lucy was able to feel just how tense Gajeel had become. The previous day had been horrible for him, he'd broken down in the shower with her, and he'd been tense all morning. It seemed as though it was starting to pile up on him again, and Lucy knew that she had to do something to help him relax a little. She discreetly pressed her lips to his palm just before he pulled it away, listening to his own growls die down with the small action, then whispered, "Alright, Black Steel. I'll let you have him. I want this piece of shit  _dead_."

"Happy to oblige. Now, get the fuck outta the way so I can show him what a  _real_  Dragon Slayer can do," Gajeel said with a wicked grin as he roughly pushed Lucy away from himself. If she was pressed against him any longer, there was no guarantee that he would have been able to let her go. At least the small kiss to his palm had given his inner dragon some sense of comfort that she was still his little Bunny, so now Gajeel could focus on beating Fairy Tail's sad excuse for a Dragon Slayer into the ground without going on a rampage that would most likely destroy the whole building.

* * *

His breathing was ragged, feet pounding the pavement as quickly as possible while he made his way towards the source of Oak Town's unnatural rumbling quakes. More and more smoke was billowing from the Phantom Lord guild hall, and although his still broken ribs protested every jostling movement as he dodged between frightened citizens, Ryos couldn't stop himself from pushing even harder to get there in time.

He had been sitting on the roof, whimpering softly and trying to hold back his fear-filled tears as he watched the guild falling apart with each explosion. His knees had been pulled to his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around them, and he hadn't realized that he was rocking back and forth while he tried to find a head of golden hair rushing towards the apartment like he wanted. This was definitely Lucy's fight, since she was the one whose freedom had been threatened, and a part of him knew that it was only logical for a strong mage like herself to be there to face off against Phantom's enemies. The scared little boy inside along with his own inner dragon could only feel worried over her not being there with him. He didn't know if she was safe. If she was injured. What if Gajeel lost track of her at some point? What if the Fairies caught her, hurt her, and then took her away? Would he ever see her again?

It felt like hours of him just sitting on that rooftop, watching and waiting for some sign that the beautiful, sweet, funny woman that he'd come to love as his own family was safe. Ryos never realized before just how much he cared about Lucy in such a short amount of time. He loved her unconditionally, and had only known her for a matter of days. Maybe it was the fact that she was actually nice to him, and had saved him from Gajeel when she returned from her mission for Master Jose. Maybe it was how she'd held onto him, and asked to be his friend. Or even how she had opened her home to him without hesitation when she found out he had nowhere else to go. It didn't matter what had made Ryos see Lucy as his sister, because all he could focus on was the fact that as long as Lucy was in his life… he wouldn't be alone anymore.

Ryos rounded a corner too sharply and fell to the ground, gasping for air when his whole torso felt like it had been locked into a vice. He forced air into his lungs and shakily got back up, then leaned against a wall to try and catch his breath. Phantom Lord was in sight now, only two blocks away from where he was standing. He could see large holes blasted in the walls; the doorway of the guild wide open and looking as though there weren't any doors to speak of; rubble littering the street even where he was standing. He heard cacophonous shouts of various spells, booming explosions, and cries of pain from successful attacks. From this distance, the thick scent of blood was just barely permeating the air, but it was mostly covered by the smell of fire and smoke. He finally felt like he could breathe, and started moving towards the guild again—albeit much slower this time—then his steps faltered, and his blood ran cold when a slender blonde flew out of the open doors and landed in a heap on the ground.

"Lucy!" Ryos screamed with tears in his eyes as he started running faster towards the guild. There was no doubt in his mind that it was her. He remembered what she wore to the guild that morning when she and Gajeel left the apartment: a black mini-skirt and a black and red crop top. Ryos took deep pulls of the air to try and pinpoint her scent, to make absolutely certain that this was her. His sense of smell was still a little hindered by having his nose broken by Gajeel, and the other more overpowering smells in the area weren't helping. The figure was only a block away when he saw her stand up slowly.

A whip lashed out sharply from her right hand.

A quick glint of gold caught the sunlight in her left hand.

The wind whipped through the woman's golden tresses and barreled down the street towards Ryos, and he smelled the comforting cake-like scent of Lucy just before her spirit appeared. "Lucy," he panted softly, holding an arm across his ribs while he continued to push past the pain. "I'll protect you… I swear…" He felt a whimper crawl up his throat when she was thrown to the side by some sort of ice, and thought,  _'I'll do whatever I can to help you, big sister.'_

* * *

Lucy was already feeling a huge drain on her magic when she summoned Cancer to try and take out Gray and Loke. She had told Taurus to give it his all, so he'd been consuming her magic like crazy while rampaging through the guild. That was the biggest reason she hadn't brought out any other spirits while he was out. She needed to let him use as much magic as she could possibly give him to take out as many opponents as possible, and she didn't want her reserves deprived even faster by holding two gates open at once. She slowly stood to her feet after having been barreled over by something Gray had created with his ice, and wiped the blood from her split lip with the back of her hand while she narrowed her eyes at the two panting Fairies. "Cancer," she said as she tightened her grip on her whip and prepared to attack, "You take Popsicle Dick over there, and I'll take this one. Be safe, okay?"

"Of course, baby!" Cancer said with a smooth grin, snipping his scissors and launching forward at Gray.

Gray brought a fist to his open palm and narrowed his eyes at the Crab spirit, channeling his magic and listening to Lucy already fighting against Loke. He couldn't understand what was going on with the girl, but he didn't really have time to figure it out. From what he could tell based on Natsu taking out that other spirit of hers, all Gray had to do was get a powerful hit on this one and he'd vanish. As the spirit advanced, he channeled his magic and quickly created a shield to block the flurry of scissor snips coming towards him. He could hear the spirit still cutting away at the ice and wondered just why it was wasn't trying to go around the shield. Instead of dwelling on it, Gray made an ice clone of himself and then rushed around the shield just as it broke to flank his opponent.

Cancer's eyes went wide when his scissors broke through the shield of ice and pierced through the mage's heart. He hadn't even moved, and the Crab was instantly worried that he'd been moving too quickly for the mage to have seen him coming. He watched in horror as the mage turned into ice and crumbled, but before he could even let the guilt consume him over disobeying Lucy's order not to kill any humans, he heard a shifting noise just behind him.

Gray grinned as he finished the final hand gesture he needed just as the spirit turned around, then slammed his hands to the ground and called out, " _Ice Make: Ice Geyser!_ " Hundreds of jagged icy spikes shot up from the ground and impaled the spirit, and Gray watched as it cried out in pain before dissipating into small motes of light that faded as they floated off into the air.

Lucy was pouring sweat already, a sick dizzying feeling washing over her from using too much magic. She refused to back down without a fight, and lashed out at Loke with another quick snap of her wrist that sent her spiked whip flying through the air. He dodged it and lifted his closed fist, the rings on his fingers glowing with a brilliant light that seemed to draw her in closer. The light seemed to radiate warmth and comfort, some sort of familiarity that tried to rouse itself from deep within her. Shaking it away, chalking it up to severe magical depletion, Lucy dove to one side when Loke sent out a burst of light from his fist. She pulled herself to her hands and knees, feeling her stomach roiling when she sensed Cancer being sent back to the Spirit World, and swallowed thickly while she tried to get to her feet again.

Gray turned towards the blonde once her spirit was gone and started advancing towards her when he was tackled from the side. His head hit the ground roughly, and he groaned, then opened his eyes to see a boy with onyx hair lying on top of him. "Get the hell outta here, kid! You could get hurt!" he shouted, roughly pushing the boy off of him and jumping to his feet.

 _'Kid?'_  Lucy thought, turning to look over at Gray and seeing the form of a boy crumpled on the ground. There was a soft groan, a hiss of pain, and then she saw the boy rolling over onto his side. "No…" she whispered when she saw those familiar red eyes cracking open to lock onto her.

Loke took advantage of Lucy's distraction and lunged at her, wincing when his right hook connected with her cheek and sent her flying backwards. He watched Lucy stumble back, but she stayed on her feet. His eyes widened slightly when she returned her gaze to him and practically  _growled_  while her upper lip curled in disgust. He watched in stunned silence when she started cracking her whip repeatedly all around her, making intricate sweeping motions in the dust along the ground, while she slowly walked forward. He could hardly see where the whip actually was at any given point in time, and only occasionally saw a small glimmer of light when one of the metal spikes caught the sunlight. The violent cracking sound of a normal whip was only broken up by the occasional scrape of metal along the ground.

Lucy made her way closer to Loke, silently thankful that he didn't realize there really wasn't anything special about what she was doing with her whip, aside from making a whole shit-ton of noise. Granted, if he was close enough, one of the spikes on it could probably catch him and give him a halfway decent gash, but it was just as likely that the rippling of the whip from hitting him would make it recoil and hit her as well. Once she was within range, Lucy lashed out at Loke's midsection with her whip and grinned when he hopped backwards away from it. She dove forward and drove her shoulder into his abdomen, knocking him to the ground. After quickly straddling him, Lucy drove her fists into his face only twice before slender arms with lean muscles wrapped around her and pulled her away from the Ring mage. "Get the hell off of me!" she screeched, shivering slightly from just how cold those appendages were.

"Calm down!" Gray shouted, tightening his grip around Lucy's waist when she started flailing much like she had when Gajeel had pulled her off of Natsu. "I'm not trying to hurt you! Just come with us!"

"This is kidnapping, you droopy-eyed bastard!"

"Wow, you sound just like that Flamebrain," Gray muttered, grunting when she elbowed him in the face. "What the hell!"

Lucy screeched again and again while she tried to wriggle free, already feeling bruises forming around her waist from where Gray had barred his arms across her body. She kicked at his legs, elbowed him wherever she could, even dug her nails into his arms, and nothing worked. Finally, she looked up to see Loke slowly sitting up and just past him was Ryos, still lying on the ground. "Ryos!" she shouted worriedly, noticing that he hadn't moved aside from wrapping his arms around his still-healing ribs. "Oh god… Let me go! Gray, let go of me!"

"Why, so you can attack us some more, you fucking lunatic?!" Gray asked incredulously.

Lucy whimpered, feeling completely helpless in that moment while she continued to struggle against the freezing arms—and naked torso, she realized—of the Ice Make mage.  _'There's gotta be something I can do,'_ she thought.  _'Think, Lucy! Ryos needs help!'_  It didn't matter to her right then why her little brother was there, because he needed her. "Goddamnit, Gray! Let fucking GO OF ME! I swear to god, I'll skin you alive and force feed it to all of your goddamn Fairy friends!"

"Shut up," Gray seethed, drawing his brow down and trying to decide what to do with the woman.

"ARRRGH!" She knew that there was only one thing she had that could make Gray let her go. The only problem was that it was going to hurt like a bitch to do it. Lucy gripped her whip and stopped flailing completely, then clenched her eyes shut and flicked her wrist. The whip went sailing behind her, arcing around Gray, and wrapping back around until it lashed across her as well. Lucy cried out when two of the iron spikes embedded in the leather cord scratched along her leg, but based on the sound that came out of Gray's mouth he'd gotten the brunt of the attack. Again and again, she lashed at him, crying out each time her whip struck her as well. The violent sting of the whip was excruciating as she continued with the most horrendous form of self-flagellation she could ever have imagined, but she needed to get to Ryos and make sure he was alright.

"Lucy! Stop!" Loke shouted in horror when he saw her striking not only Gray, but herself with her own whip. Long angry lines appeared on her tanned skin from the leather, and there were several cuts and gashes running along her legs from the spikes on her weapon.  _'What is she thinking?!'_ He watched as Gray's grip around the blonde's waist tightened with each strike, saw small spatters of blood flying into the air and landing in large droplets on the ground around the pair of mages.

Three, four, five times. She lost count after that. She bit her lips in an attempt to keep her pain hidden, and tasted a small bit of blood in her mouth when she bit down too hard as one of the iron spikes dug deep into her muscle. Lucy kept lashing out until Gray finally loosened his grip on her. She felt as though she would vomit, her exhaustion quickly catching up with her, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. She ran forward, stumbling with each frantic step, past a stunned Loke that was staring at the dozen or so injuries she'd inflicted on herself to get Gray to let her go, and dropped to her knees once she was next to Ryos.  _'I wish I was stronger… I need to have more magical power than this!'_

Virgo felt just how low Lucy's magic had gotten, and worry instantly consumed her. Each of Lucy's spirits knew what was happening, had spent their time watching over her during the course of the day, and had heard from both Cancer and Taurus what was going on. Lucy looked like she was on the verge of passing out, but Virgo could feel Lucy's determination coursing through the bond between her the spirits. In response, each of Lucy's ten spirits sent their own forms of encouragement back to their key holder. Aquarius had been raging almost constantly, and for once it wasn't about not being able to see her boyfriend, Scorpio. The mermaid was highly upset that these people were trying to force Lucy back into that house, and it was one of the only times that Virgo was actually able to see that the water woman really cared about her. Without another thought, the Maiden Spirit forced her gate open and stood protectively in front of Lucy and Ryos. "It will be okay, Princess," she said softly. "I'll protect you."

"Virgo," Lucy whispered gratefully, smiling up at the fathomless blue eyes of her pink-haired spirit. "I'm so happy to see you."

"The feeling is mutual, Princess," Virgo whispered back with a small smile.

' _No,'_  Loke thought.  _'I can't hurt Virgo… It's almost as bad as fighting Aries!'_  In that moment, he wished that Lucy Heartfilia had never become a Celestial mage. If she'd used any other form of magic, then he wouldn't be having nearly as difficult a time fighting and incapacitating her. As it was, every spirit that popped out brought back centuries of memories—times of joy and sadness, parties when several of the Zodiacs were actually contracted to the same owner, days of comforting one another for being mistreated as time went on. The last time he'd seen Virgo was three Earthland decades prior when they had actually had the same owner. A little less than half of a Celestial year, if he were to think about it. He missed her almost as much as Aries, if not more. Granted, he missed all of his old friends in the Spirit World, but he'd made his choice to go against Karen and keep himself in Earthland, and her death was on him. "Virgo," Loke whispered, wincing when he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his stomach from Earthland leeching away at his life force.

"Oh, come on," Gray groaned, feeling weaker by the minute with how much damage he'd actually taken from the girl's whip. He was starting to get really tired of these spirits of hers popping up, and he just wanted to get the hell away from this place so they could figure out how to get Lucy back to her dad.

"Ryos, are you okay?" Lucy whispered.

Ryos cracked his eyes open and winced, biting his lower lip to try and combat the pain in his ribs from being thrown to the ground. "I'll be alright, Lucy. Just sore."

Lucy frowned and lightly touched Ryos' sides, quickly pulling her hands into her lap when he hissed in pain. "It's your ribs, isn't it? They're still not healed…"

Loke grabbed Gray's arm when his partner tried to continue the fight and go after Lucy, his chest clenching painfully when he saw the desperation and fear in Lucy's eyes as she dropped to her knees over the boy while Virgo stood protectively in front of them. "Stop, Gray."

"What?!" Gray shouted. "Loke, we've gotta handle this, and take her back to the guild!" He turned back to glare at the blonde and saw a Phantom symbol on the kid's forearm when she moved slightly. "He's Phantom, too… He's our enemy, Loke."

Lucy frowned and turned to glare at Gray. "You stupid fucking stripper, leave me the hell alone!" she shouted. She was hit with a wave of vertigo and realized just how low her magic had gotten, but Lucy wasn't willing to give up just yet. "You're not 'saving' me! You're trying to ruin my goddamn life!" She took several deep breaths and steadied herself, then looked up at Virgo with a grim set to her jaw. "Virgo, take care of Ryos. Please check his ribs again to make sure they aren't worse from the fall. I'm handling these fucking Fairies myself."

Loke watched as Virgo's usually blank expression shattered when she looked at Lucy—who was slowly standing up, and paler than she was only minutes before. Instead of holding no expression whatsoever, Virgo's brows were pushed together and her whole body radiated her concern for the blonde.  _'Virgo's always been devoted to her owner, but I've never seen her like_ _ **this**_ _for one of them…'_ He saw Virgo kneel next to the boy, finally noticing the way he was holding his ribs and grinding his teeth. Virgo lifted the boy's shirt, and all Loke could see were mottled bruises covering his entire torso. "What the hell did you do to that kid?!" he shouted at Lucy.

Lucy's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the accusation, then she scowled and said, "I saved him, Loke. Not that it's any of your goddamn business. Why can't you guys just leave me alone?!"

"Maybe because you're a fucking psychopath that's threatening to maim everyone?" Gray retorted. "Or even because your dad hired us to come get you? We've got plenty of reasons, and if you're really part of Phantom, then you're our enemy for the simple fact that Phantom attacked our guild and our family."

"Doesn't family mean  _anything_  to you?" Loke asked.

Lucy sneered at Gray and said, "You know, I'm getting  _really_  fucking tired of everyone bringing that bastard up. He only hired you guys because he cares too much about his own fucking reputation to admit that I  _ran away_. I really don't need to explain myself to you…" She paused and looked at Loke, her eyes softening just slightly. "And family means  _everything_  to me. But the man that hired you  _isn't_  my family!"

"But, he's your dad!" Loke shot back.

"He fucked my mom, they had a baby, and named her Lucy," she replied coldly. "Sure, they were married and happy, but then he turned into a Grade-A asshole that's trying to make me miserable! I'm not fucking going back there without a fight! If anything, you little Fairy fuckers are gonna be taking me back there in a goddamn body bag!"

"There's gotta be more to it than that!" Loke reasoned. "What's so bad about going back? Why did you run away to begin with?!"

"It doesn't matter," Gray said coolly. "She's our enemy, Loke. The mission is to get Lucy to her dad, and that's what we'll do. Even if she ran away, she still has to go back."

Loke was positively torn on what to do. He knew that all of Fairy Tail had accepted the burden of bring Lucy Heartfilia with them back to their guild so she could be transported to her father's estate, but… Seeing her with the boy on the ground, how she instantly gave up on attacking both himself and Gray when she realized the boy was hurt, and even what he'd already witnessed with her spirits… This girl was extremely strong from what he could tell, since she had summoned Taurus  _and_  Cancer and was still able to hold her own in a fight against him without having a spirit to help her. She'd lost her mind and attacked Natsu for hurting Taurus, cried over the spirit's injury, and even though he could see that her magic was waning, Lucy was still going. Virgo had clearly opened her own gate to help protect Lucy, and instead Lucy had taken it upon herself to fight even though she was injured and running low on energy. She was fighting insanely hard for some reason, and he didn't understand what could have been so bad about living a life of luxury that she would want to run away from it. "Gray… I don't… I don't know…" he muttered uncertainly.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?!" Gray shouted.

"I mean…" Loke said hesitantly, his usual pride and confidence having dissipated the longer he looked into Lucy's chocolate brown eyes. "I don't think… Um…" A gust of wind blew by them, sending golden wisps of her hair flowing outwards and whipping around her head, and he could almost  _feel_  a deep sadness wafting from the girl at the mention of being taken back to her father. If she saved that boy the way she said, then it was obvious she cared about him in some capacity. The fact that he'd been hurt at all as a result of just being thrown off of Gray was testament to the beating he'd already received. What Loke found interesting was that a guild like Phantom Lord was known for its members not caring for one another in the slightest, yet here Lucy was… Protecting one of the guild's members even though she was on the verge of passing out.

"Fine," Gray said, putting his fist to his palm again. "I'll handle this myself. We've got a mission, Loke…" He quickly channeled his magic and sent out a barrage of crescent-shaped ice projectiles towards Lucy. He couldn't allow himself to think, because that would be when Lucy struck. While everyone in the guild had been watching her fighting against Natsu, Gray had been watching her every move and noticed that she was a defensive fighter. Lucy reacted to offensive moves sent her way, searched for weaknesses or distractions and capitalized on them. Just as he'd suspected, the blonde ducked beneath the blades of ice, but her spirit wasn't so lucky.

Lucy heard a strangled, gargling noise from behind her and lifted her head from the ground to see one of the blades had embedded itself in Virgo's back. "Virgo? Oh, GOD! VIRGO!" Lucy screamed.

"Please… Princess," Virgo whispered as she started to disappear. "Please… Be careful…" She looked up at the two mages that had been fighting against Lucy and caught the eye of the orange-haired one with the sunglasses. She smiled, watching him gasp in shock, and whispered to herself, "Leo…"

Just as she was standing, Lucy's eyes went wide when she saw a large magic circle appearing beneath her, shining an icy blue. She looked up to see Gray standing in front of her with Loke next to him, and a smirk on the Ice Make mage's face. What caught her attention for a moment was the distraught look on Loke's face, a look of indecision and torment at what he was witnessing. His eyes stayed locked onto the place that Virgo had disappeared from, and he seemed to be lost to the world right then.

"I'm not letting this drag on anymore!" Gray bellowed. " _Ice Make: Knuckle!_ "

At the last second, just as the magical pressure from the circle beneath her feet had mounted and was ready to release the attack, Lucy was roughly pushed to one side and slid along the ground away from the spell. She looked up to see who had saved her only to let out a strangled cry when she saw Ryos being knocked into the air by several giant fists made of ice. "RYOS!" Lucy screeched once he hit the ground with a sickening crunch, his body lying completely limp and not a single sound passing his lips. She completely abandoned her preoccupation with the Fairies she'd been facing when she heard him take a wheezing breath, and scrambled across the ground in a mad dash to get to the boy she'd come to love as her brother.

"Gray!" Loke shouted, finally breaking free from his internal torment at seeing Virgo hurt and hearing her whisper his name on the wind. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"This chick is psychotic, Loke! We take her spirits out, then we go after her. Mission or not, she's still a Phantom."

"Her spirits can feel pain, you dick!" Loke ground out, clenching his fists.

"Yeah, so she said," Gray muttered. "How much of what she told us on the train do you think was the truth?"

"Celestial Spirits  _do_  feel pain, Gray. She wasn't lying when she talked about them!"

"Oh god, no…" Lucy looked over Ryos' body with wide and frightened eyes, feeling her heart pounding frantically against her chest. "No, no, no… Ryos, sweetie?" Lucy whispered as she brushed his inky black hair from his eyes. "Can you hear me? Come on, you've gotta be okay…" Lucy felt hot tears sliding down her cheeks, and brought both hands to his face while she sobbed. "Ryos… R-Ryos, please!" She couldn't hear his wheezing breaths, or see the pained expression on his face. All Lucy could see was her little brother being ripped away from her for good. "Ryos, say something… ANYTHING!"

"Gray, that kid's already been beaten up. Didn't you see the bruises on him? That hit could have killed him!"

"Loke, what's  _with_  you today? Ever since we saw her picture on that request, you've been acting really different. That kid pushed her outta the way, it's not like I was aiming for him!"

Ryos' nose twitched when he smelled her tears, and his whole body was awash in pain. The trauma of Gajeel's last beating was only worsened when he took that hit that was meant for Lucy, but he forced himself to open his eyes and saw the woman he'd always love as his sister crying over him. "I-I'm… okay… Lucy," he whispered, wincing when it hurt to even talk. "D-Don't… cry…"

Lucy dropped her head to Ryos' shoulder and openly sobbed while she held onto him. "I t-told you!" she cried, her whole being filled with relief that he was still alive, "I told y-you to s-s-stay at  _home_! Y-You… You could have… gotten… k-k—"

"Shh," Ryos whispered, wincing as he fought against the pain radiating in his whole body and lifted his hand to lightly stroke Lucy's hair.

"Y-You're still healing! I-I said… You n-needed  _rest_ , R-Ryos!" Lucy hiccupped and felt her whole body quaking with the force of her sobs. "I-I don't wanna l-lose y-y-you!"

"What the hell?" Gray whispered incredulously. "This chick's gotta be bipolar, man…"

Lucy sniffled and held onto Ryos as tightly as she could without hurting him. "R-Ryos… I need you to g-get him… Please… I'll… I'll hold them off u-until he gets here…"

"Lucy," Ryos whispered worriedly. "You're almost out of magic… I can tell."

"I'll be fine… Just t-tell him that it's an emergency… Th-That I'm… I'm gonna b-be a shooting star… I-I'll do what I can." Lucy smiled sadly at Ryos and pulled out a silver key. She felt another drop in her magic when Horologium appeared, but Lucy forced herself past it and placed Ryos inside of her spirit. "Horologium…" she panted, propping herself up on her hands and knees and taking deep breaths to fight the constant state of dizziness she was in. "Take him… i-inside the guild… and keep… keep him s-safe."

"'Wait,' he says urgently," Horologium narrated while he stood beside his blonde friend's frail body. "'Lucy, please… Please don't do this… I'll protect you, I swear,' he sobs." Horologium wanted nothing more than to take Lucy with him as well, but he could tell that she would order him if she had to. No matter how she said something to her spirits, regardless of whether it sounded like a demand, they could always hear the small hopeful question that lied within her words. She didn't demand anything of them, only asked for their assistance when she needed it.

"Please… Take him… Get…" Lucy furrowed her brow as her body began to tremble, a cold shiver running down her spine while her magic continued to drain. "G-Get… my… D-Dragon…" she whispered. "Please…"

"Gray, if you attack that spirit, I'll never forgive you," Loke growled, clamping his hand down on Gray's wrist. He felt tears of his own welling in his eyes while he watched the beaten boy roughly pounding on Horologium's glass in an attempt to break free. The kid looked desperate to save her, as if she was the only source of light in his life, and her being taken away would throw him into a whirlpool of never-ending darkness.  _'Stars, what are we even doing?!'_  he thought,  _'This isn't right…'_

Horologium held his hand over the door to his body so the boy couldn't break free, the clock hands on his face drooping with deep sorrow. "'I love you,' he cries brokenly," Horologium whispered, his voice hitching uncharacteristically just as the small Dragon Slayer's had while he pressed his hands to the glass. He took a shaking breath as Lucy crawled up to press her hands to the glass to meet Ryos', tears pouring from her puffy, red eyes and only the barest remnants of her usually brilliant smile on her face. "'Lucy, please don't leave me!' he shouts in desperation."

"I love you too, sweetie," Lucy whispered. She took a shaky breath, and pressed a soft kiss to the tips of her fingers. As she brought her fingers to the glass where Ryos was resting his forehead while he cried, she said, "You…Y-You know I'll never l-leave you. I'll find a way b-back, I… I p-promise… I'll come back, and… We'll bake another cake, okay?" She tried to smile at Ryos, to give him some sense of comfort that she would come back for him. "We'll read together, and wh-when you're healed we can start training!"

"'We'll go on a mission,' he whispers," Horologium said. "'All three of us, together.'"

Lucy nodded and added, "And I'll teach you all about th-the stars."

"We'll n-never be alone again," Ryos whimpered, trying to feel comforted by all the plans they were making once this was all done. He took in just how drained Lucy looked, something he'd never believed she was capable of. Through it all, she was still trying to make him feel better.  _'She's… She's just trying to protect me…'_  He knew they didn't have much time before her magic ran out completely, and while a large part of him was screaming that they needed to stop with this foolishness so he could get Gajeel, his instincts were urging him to stay with her as long as possible.

"Yeah," Lucy said, swallowing thickly to try and be strong for Ryos. "We'll get a bigger place, a-and you can have your own room. We'll be happy, Ryos." She knew that Horologium wouldn't be able to get to Gajeel in time, but she had to make sure that Ryos was safe. She'd sworn to protect him, and that's just what she was doing. All Lucy could hope is that her magic was active long enough for her spirit to get Ryos to safety, and that Gajeel would come for her. She wasn't going to delude herself into thinking the Iron Slayer would save her right then, and accepted that she would be taken away, but she still hoped… She hoped that Gajeel would tear everything to shreds while he searched for her, and helped her escape her father's clutches. "It'll just… be for a little while. I'll come back, and we'll all be safe and happy."

"'Lucy, please!' he whimpers," Horologium said sadly as he took a slow step backwards, away from the blonde.

Ryos growled and felt the tears pouring unhindered down his face. He could see in Lucy's eyes that she didn't expect him to get to Gajeel in time. He saw defeat. It was a look he'd never wanted to see on her, but it was there clear as day. "P-Promise me!" he called out as Lucy's spirit started to carry him away. "P-Promise we'll always find each other!" He saw Lucy throw a hand over her mouth in the attempt to stifle another the heartrending sob that ripped through her, and then she nodded fervently while new tears welled in her eyes.

"I promise, Ryos," Lucy said, finally dropping her head so she didn't have to see him being taken away from her. "We'll always find each other…"

Horologium slowly turned, not bothering to narrate the desperate wails from the boy, and walked towards the guild's entrance. He didn't have long before Lucy's magic would run out, and he needed to keep the weakened boy protected from the violence within the building until they reached the man Lucy had fallen in love with.  _'I just hope we make it in time,'_  he thought worriedly.

When he saw the confusion in Gray's eyes, Loke roughly wiped his tears away and said, "He's taking the kid outta the fight, Gray. Gold keys are the ones we need to worry—" Loke's words were cut off when he looked back at Lucy to see her key ring in her hands. Her head was down with her hair shadowing her face, but he could hear her crying even after Horologium had taken the boy away to safety. "—about…" he finished softly.

"I'm so sorry," Lucy whispered to her keys. "I n-never wanted you to get t-taken away…" She felt each of her keys warming up as her spirits tried to comfort her, to tell her not to give up. "I… I l-love you so much… I'll m-miss you… All of you…" Lucy clenched her eyes tightly, grimacing when she felt a piercing pain radiating from within her heart. She cried and cried as her heart shattered, and finally let out one last wail of despair. "I'm so sorry!"

"What's she going on about now?" Gray asked, furrowing his brow in confusion at how heartbroken Lucy sounded. She'd already showed everyone that she was a pretty good actress with what she'd tried to do to Natsu inside, and even how nice she had been on the train with him and Loke before, so he was having a hard time believing that she was being sincere right then. If the way she'd acted with the kid before he left was just all for show, then she was definitely in the wrong line of work being a mage. Still, some part of Gray wanted to know what could have possibly broken the girl's spirit if she was being genuine. Lucy was clearly barely conscious, her whole body showing signs of how much magic she'd gone through from the sweat on her skin, how pale she had become, the way she was panting and shivering, and even the slightly distant look in her eyes. "She's… talking to her keys?"

"Gray," Loke whispered. "This is wrong… We shouldn't be doing this…" He turned to look sadly at his best friend and partner, his heart breaking right along with the blonde woman mere meters in front of them. He'd heard every word that she had whispered through her tears, and couldn't understand why Lucy thought she would lose her keys. Fairy Tail wasn't going to take her magic away… They were just helping her father get her back. Ever since he'd seen her picture on the request form, this whole thing had rubbed him the wrong way. And now? She'd watched three Zodiacs being taken out, watched as the young boy that she very clearly cared about was hurt trying to protect her, and even now… He could see that Lucy was desperate to fight until her last breath, but she was still mourning the loss of those silver and gold keys as if it was all her fault. "Mission or not… There's something we're not seeing about all of this…"

"How so?" Gray asked, feeling a deep and unsettling coldness washing through him while Lucy sobbed uncontrollably before them.

"Look at her, Gray," Loke said as he removed his sunglasses and rubbed his eyes to try and figure out what it was that they weren't seeing. "This is completely different than how she was before… Something's not right…  _This_ —what we're doing to her—isn't right… It's like she's lost everything, and… And I don't know what to do…"

Lucy felt the familiar agitated vibration from one of her gold keys, and opened her eyes slowly then brought her thumb to the small double-wave emblem.  _'I don't even think I have enough magic to summon Plue right now,'_ she thought sadly. Another more violent vibration from the key had Lucy frowning. Then she saw that a small pool of her own tears had collected in her hands with one key in particular sitting right in the middle of it. "I'll… I'll be just l-like those shooting stars," Lucy whispered with a smile.  _'One last volley against the enemy… A last ditch attempt at victory… Just like Gajeel and I thought that morning.'_  Channeling the last of her magic, trying to stretch it until it filled her whole being, Lucy called out the incantation for Aquarius.

Gray and Loke stared wide-eyed as a large swirling vortex of water sprang up from Lucy's cupped hands, and Loke couldn't believe that Lucy had been able to summon a third Zodiac with how low her magic had gotten. The girl fell to the ground, her head bouncing slightly while she stared blankly at the sky above them. Tears still streamed down her face, and he could just barely hear her rasping, labored breaths over the torrent of water. When the water finally fell down to the ground, there was the dreaded Water-Bearer, Aquarius. Instead of the woman berating Lucy for taking her from a date with Scorpio—as she had a tendency to do with all of her owners—Loke was surprised yet again when Aquarius quickly lifted Lucy into her arms and glared at the two of them.

Lucy smiled weakly, feeling her consciousness fading in and out, and whispered softly to the black dots in her vision. "Just like… the stars… against… the sun…"

"HOW  _DARE_  YOU HURT HER LIKE THIS!" Aquarius bellowed, shifting Lucy's mostly unconscious body and cradling her gently, then grabbing her vase and preparing the strongest tidal wave she could manage without killing the poor exhausted girl. Without warning, Aquarius sent her water attack flying toward the two mages, and watched in horror as a wall of ice shot up just in the nick of time to shield them from the majority of the attack. "No…" she whispered with wide eyes when she realized that she was already starting to waver before disappearing. Lucy's magic was nearly drained completely, and Aquarius still wasn't strong enough to force her own gate open regularly. She maybe had enough of her own magic to stay a little longer, but not enough to launch another attack without also drawing from Lucy's nearly empty reservoir. If Aquarius used up anymore of Lucy's magic, the girl would die…

Lucy weakly reached up and grabbed Aquarius' hand as the blue-haired spirit slowly floated to the ground with tears in her eyes. "I-I'm sorry… I'm not… stronger," she whispered, fighting to stay conscious with everything she had. Her vision had already gone blurry, then darkened momentarily when Aquarius sent her attack out. As soon as she had stopped using more of Lucy's magic to power her attack, Lucy's sight brightened up just enough for her to still make out the vague shape of her oldest spirit.

"You're plenty strong," Aquarius whispered with a watery smile. "You summoned  _me_ , so of course you are."

Lucy smiled and rasped out a soft laugh, slowly lifting her free hand to the blur that she knew was Aquarius' cheek. She vaguely felt Aquarius lean into her hand, and her eyes softened when she whispered, "M-My brightest… star… gave the sun… one hell of a fight."

Aquarius let out a laugh that only increased her freely flowing tears. "Such language from a proper young lady," she teased, though there was no humor in her words. It only served to remind them of what was going to happen if Lucy wasn't able to get away from Fairy Tail.

Lucy's smile faded in an instant and gave way to her deep sadness. "I don't wanna go back… He'll… He'll take you… away from me…"

"I know," Aquarius replied, bringing Lucy closer to her and burying her nose in her hair. She took a shaky breath when she felt Lucy's sadness passing through their bond, layering itself thickly over her own. "We'll always…  _A-Always_  be with you, okay? N-No matter what…" She grimaced as she forced herself to stay corporeal using her own limited power to stay in Earthland just a little longer. "I swear… W-We'll be t-together again… I p-promise, Lucy!" She let out a heart-wrenching sob and held Lucy to her as tightly as she could, wishing that she could just steal the little blonde away and keep her safe from the bastard that had sired her. Jude had been a different man when Layla was alive, but he blamed magic for her illness. He blamed her spirits for killing her by using her magic every time they were summoned. "I love you, Lucy," Aquarius whispered into her golden tresses. "W-We all do… Sh-She'd be p-proud of you for today!"

"... Yeah?" Lucy asked while her vision darkened, a small smile on her face.

"Of course!"

Gray was about to take a step forward when Loke placed a hand on his arm again. "She's about to pass out, Gray. You go let Erza know we've got her, and I'll make sure to keep her here." When Gray nodded and ran off towards the Phantom guild's entrance, Loke sighed and crouched down while roughly grabbing his hair, finally willingly letting his own tears fall in the presence of one of his oldest friends. "Tell me what's going on, Aquarius," he whispered, looking up sadly at the mermaid who went rigid when he said her name. "I don't deserve to know, but—"

"You!" Aquarius seethed, her voice filled with venom and a constant stream of tears pouring down her face. She lifted her head to glare at Loke, letting him see just how hurt she personally was by everything that was happening to the sweet blonde that was so much like Layla. "How could  _you_  of all people allow something like this to happen?! You were our leader, the one that protected us with everything you had. You  _still are_ as far as the Zodiac is concerned!" She paused when she saw the tormented expression on Loke's face and sneered. "What gives  _you_  the right to cry over this, Leo?"

"I can't understand it. Any of it. I want to hate her," Loke said as he looked at Lucy. "I want to hate her because of Karen, and what that woman did to Aries… But, I  _saw_  how she acted when Taurus got hurt. She's not like any Celestial mage I've ever met, but we have a mission to take her back… All of this fighting… For Fairy Tail's honor, to get to Lucy, to avenge our guild mates… Virgo opened her own gate to protect her, and instead Lucy said to take care of the kid! She chose to  _fight_!" He lifted his gaze to look into the mermaid spirit's eyes again. "Aquarius, I don't deserve for  _any_  of you to see me as a leader after what I did to Karen. But seeing Lucy… Knowing that she actually cares about you… I don't know how to handle this!"

"You're right! You  _don't_  deserve to be our leader," Aquarius spat, "But you still are in my eyes. Which means it's your job to protect us! You're the strongest spirit we've got—"

"I'm not anymore!" Leo shouted. "Don't you understand?! I'm dying here, Aquarius! That's my punishment. I'll  _never_  be with you guys again!"

"We all  _know that_ , Leo!" Aquarius shot back. "What I mean is that you can't just go back on centuries of your own ideals—how you used to live as a spirit—just because you're stuck here now. As our leader, it was your job to protect us. I know you still feel that way; otherwise, you wouldn't be so torn up about what's going on in the first place!"

"You're right… I do want to protect you guys," Loke said softly. "I don't want you to have to suffer…"

"Do you have any idea what will happen if she goes back there?!"

"No," Loke whispered. "She wouldn't tell us… It doesn't seem right, but… I don't know what to do…" He stood up and slowly walked over to Lucy and Aquarius when he saw her wince again, then knelt in front of the two women. "Tell me."

Aquarius gritted her teeth as pain started washing through her body, feeling Earthland leeching away at her with each passing second. Her tears started anew when she thought about what she and all of Lucy's spirits were in jeopardy of losing if Fairy Tail succeeded in their mission. "Her father is going to take us away from her… Sh-She loves us, Leo. We're her only friends, her family, and he's going to take it  _all_ away…" Aquarius gasped when it felt like she had swallowed a gallon of fish hooks, and looked up pleadingly into Loke's eyes.

"Aquarius, you should go back," Loke said worriedly. "You're in pain, and—"

"P-Please, Leo…" she cried, letting any form of haughtiness she always held within her wash away while she pleaded with her friend. "Please d-don't let him take her away… Sh-She always s-said she'd f-find Scorpio for me… S-So I could see him m-more often… Virgo's happy w-with Lucy, and they always spend t-time together just because L-Lucy loves her company! Cancer l-loves her to death b-because she always lets him dress her up. She named her Canis Minor, c-calls Crux 'Grandpa', and… and…" She hiccupped, feeling completely overwhelmed by what was going to happen. "We l-love her so much! A-And, she's happy here! Sh-She's in  _love_! D-Don't take her happiness away! Lucy deserves it after everything she's been through. They all do… Please… Leo, PLEASE PROTECT HER!"

When he saw Aquarius tighten her grip on Lucy, still fighting to stay with the girl, Loke sighed and lifted both hands to her cheeks, gently brushing away her tears in a rare moment of tenderness between them. They stayed silent for only a moment while Aquarius reined in her emotions, then he said, "I'll do what I can to get to the bottom of this, Aquarius. She'll  _have_  to explain to the guild why she doesn't want to go back, otherwise they'll take her to her father's and complete the mission."

"So take her away from here when no one's looking!"

"I can't… They'll find us. Natsu's a Dragon Slayer, and he knows my scent by heart. I'll hold onto her keys until we sort everything out. You know I'll keep you guys safe."

"It's not  _us_  I'm worried about, Leo… Honestly, I'm more worried for all of you… She's got some serious protection here."

"She's also insane, Aquarius…"

Aquarius laughed and shook her head while looking lovingly at Lucy. "No, she's not. Lucy's got a temper, and knows how to handle herself. She's got a pure heart, Leo. No matter what she does, it's  _always_  with the best intentions in mind. She'll take the burden for us if she can, and sometimes even when it's too much for her to bear alone." Aquarius hissed in pain again, and felt Loke lightly squeeze her shoulders. "Keep her safe for us?"

"I'll do what I can, Aquarius. I promise," Loke said with a sad smile.

Just as Aquarius started to disappear, she realized that she probably should have told Loke one thing. "If her guild… comes for her…" she said, feeling herself wavering between Earthland and the Spirit World, "There's only one person… she trusts… The one… she loves…"

"Who? The kid?" Loke asked.

Aquarius smiled, and said, "Okay… two… Ryos… and… Ga—"

Loke watched as the last of Aquarius disappeared, the name she'd been trying to give him falling away into nothingness. He looked down at Lucy's pale and sweat-slicked body, saw the gashes and bruises all over her from how fiercely she'd been fighting. "What are we doing?" he asked himself. "You're fighting so hard to stay here… There has to be a reason for it…" With a sigh, Loke picked up Lucy's keys and put them in his pocket. Just as he was pulling her into his arms, there was a violent quake that surrounded them. It was almost as if Master Makarov had gotten a dozen bills from the Magic Council for damages and he'd gone into his gargantuan terrorizing mode. When the ground stopped rumbling, and Loke felt like he could breathe again, an eerie silence fell over the entire street. He carefully gather Lucy into his arms, and knelt on the ground until Gray came back with news from Erza.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Thunderbolt's Fate, the spell that Cana uses to electrocute Lucy, is actually one of Cana's spells from Fairy Tail Gekitotsu! Kardia Daiseidou on Nintendo DS. I changed it just a little, so it strikes one target instead of the space in front of and behind the caster, but yeah.
> 
> -The leg grab that Lucy uses to fling Natsu during their fight was inspired by Sonya Blade from Mortal Kombat. I plan on showcasing some of Lucy's hand-to-hand skills in later chapters (during the second arc of the story), so be prepared for more notes like this.


	15. Arc 1: Heartbreak and Hope

 

The battle within the nearly decimated Phantom Lord guild was still raging with fights taking place across every possible surface within the crumbling remains of the building. There were countless numbers of Phantom mages strewn about the rubble, with only a small handful of Fairy Tail's own members having been bested. Gajeel and Natsu traded blow for blow against one another, throwing insults and taunts at the opposing Slayer with ease. Tension was running high for everyone still engaged in combat, and when Erza heard the panting shout of Fairy Tail's Ice Make mage coming from the guild's entrance, she quickly rounded on him and gave him a stern glare that didn't garner any room for hesitation.

"Got her," was all Gray needed to say. He saw Erza nod swiftly before returning to her own battles, and Gray centered himself before he jumped into the fray as well.

"Come on, Tin Can! You can do better than that!" Natsu shouted as Gajeel flew through several rafters and slid down the wall until he was slumped on the ground.

Gajeel growled and righted himself, his inner dragon's roar of vengeance nearly deafening. Just as he was about to lunge at Natsu again, he caught a scent that made his stomach drop down through the floor and into the very core of Earthland. Lucy's blood. He and his dragon were both torn on whether he should leave Natsu in pursuit of Lucy—to make sure she was alright and save her if she needed him to—but Gajeel couldn't think too much more on the subject when Natsu sent a fiery roar right at him. Gajeel had just enough time to manifest a shield in front of himself, and he gritted his teeth against the searing pain that came with the metal of his shield heating up under the onslaught of that attack as it rested against his arm. With his focus returned to the biggest threat at the moment, and deciding that he would hear Lucy calling out for him if she really needed his help, Gajeel cackled as he shifted the shield away and looked at Natsu. "The rumors are true. You're way more powerful than you look. That actually burns a little," he taunted, crouching low and using all of the force his legs could produce as he ran towards Natsu. "So, is that all ya got… Salamander?!"

Natsu dodged attack after attack that came from Gajeel, his eyes widening slightly as the other Slayer increased his speed with each hit. Finally, Gajeel landed a solid iron clubbed hit to Natsu's stomach that knocked him to the ground. Once he was on his feet again, Natsu grinned and said, "That was my warm-up. I'm just getting started. You ain't seen nothing yet, ya Metal Freak!" Natsu bent down and pushed himself off from the ground, creating a small crater in the concrete from the magical pressure building around himself. He saw Gajeel do the exact same thing, a much larger crater forming beneath the Iron Slayer. They collided in the center with Natsu unable to land a single hit on the larger male, and each hit he took only sent him sliding backwards.  _'Man, he's tough,'_  Natsu thought.

There was a violent quake that shook the very foundation of the guild, halting every single fight within the building. Crash after crash could be heard: the sounds of shattered concrete, splitting wood, and finally one final nearly explosive crash into the ground floor that left a cloud of dust in the air. Gajeel knew what was coming since he'd been informed by Jose that morning of the guild master's plan to have Aria attack Makarov and siphon away his magic. He'd been ordered to keep an eye on Fairy Tail as they made their retreat, and made his way back up into the rafters to watch the Fairy scum that gathered around their pale, tiny, and pathetic excuse for a leader. "Guess the fun's over. And just when things were starting to get good…" Gajeel muttered, crouching down on the rafter he'd perched himself on and searching the guild for his little blonde spitfire. He was only willing to give her a couple more minutes to get that sweet ass back up into the rafters before he went in search for her. He'd told her about Jose's plan to use Aria's magic against Makarov, and said that when Fairy Tail was starting to flee, when the fighting was finished for the time being, she needed to get back up to safety as quickly as possible. That same unsettling feeling sat heavily inside of him, but he ignored it as he continued watching Fairy Tail.

Erza rushed forward and knelt next to Makarov, pressing her fingers to his throat and checking to find his pulse severely weakened. There was no way they would be able to continue fighting. Their guild master was in need of medical treatment, and she knew that the only person he trusted with such a task was Porlyusica.  _'We can't do this. Without the Master, we aren't strong enough and our morale is dangerously low,'_  she thought. Without a moment's hesitation, Erza stood to her feet and let her firm resolve carry out through her words while she gave the next order to her comrades and family. "We must retreat! Everyone back to the guild at once!" She carefully picked up Makarov, cradling him as gently as possible against her armored chest, and thought,  _'At least we have the Heartfilia girl. We'll take her with us to the guild just as Master ordered.'_

Gajeel frowned when he didn't see Lucy anywhere as Fairy Tail made their hasty retreat. He took a deep pull of the air, and jumped down from the rafters while the remaining Phantom members tried to get in a few last hits. He could still smell Lucy's blood in the air, but he knew she'd taken a few hits while she was inside. Dread slowly trickled down his spine, chilling him to the bone when he growled to part the other members of his guild and stalked toward the guild's entrance. Lying on the steps right in front of the guild was Ryos, panting and curled in on himself, reeking of tears and Lucy's blood. "Where is she?" Gajeel growled, baring his teeth at the prone and quivering boy. "WHERE?!"

Ryos whimpered and covered his head with his hands, fearing that his failure to protect Lucy would result in a beating from Gajeel. He deserved it as far as he was concerned. Her spirit Horologium had tried to comfort him as best as he could, but they'd barely made it to the entrance before the spirit gasped in shock. He'd quickly informed Ryos that he needed to return to the Spirit World, otherwise Lucy would die. That she had summoned another gold key with far too little magic to sustain the spirit's gate staying open for more than a minute. "I-I tried…" Ryos wheezed, his body finally feeling the effects of the damage he'd sustained while he tried to keep Lucy safe. His ribs protested each breath he took to the point that Ryos was considering oxygen deprivation to be a better idea altogether. His limbs ached, each bone and joint throbbing from the jarring fall he'd had when those icy fists knocked him into the air and his crash landing with the ground.

"GODDAMNIT!" Gajeel roared. He lunged at Ryos, his inner dragon still roaring wildly and thrashing against his control over himself, then grabbed the collar of the boy's shirt in one hand and dragged him inside of the guild. "Everyone. Get the fuck outta here." Gajeel paused for a moment, singling out several of the better off guild members in reference to the injuries they'd sustained. "You go to headquarters. We leave for Magnolia soon."

Ryos wavered in and out of consciousness while he was dragged across the ground. It didn't bother him in the slightest, since he didn't think it was possible to experience any more pain. A door opened, he was hefted from the ground and thrown through the air, then only let out a rattling breath when he collided with the wall and slid to the ground.

"What the fuck?!" Gajeel bellowed, slamming the door to the infirmary and locking it. "Where the fuck is she, brat? WHERE'S MY GODDAMN BUNNY?!" He roared again and fisted his hand, rounding quickly and punching the stone wall with all of the power he could muster. "Tell me ya little shitstain, or I won't stop myself from tearing you limb from motherfucking limb!"

Ryos wheezed again and again, fighting to pull air into his lungs with each short breath. "Lu—" he rasped as he sucked in a breath, clenching his eyes and trying to will the pain in his whole body away.

"I fucking  _told her_  to stay home with you!" Gajeel growled, ignoring the boy on the ground. "She shouldn't have been here! I KNEW THEY'D TAKE HER IF SHE WAS HERE!" He felt anger at her swelling inside of himself, but his inner dragon quickly redirected it to where it believed the blame belonged. Him. Gajeel was supposed to protect her, and he'd failed. "They took her… They fuckin' took my Bunny away…" He rounded on Ryos again, and finally noticed that the boy hadn't moved in the slightest since Gajeel had thrown him into the room. Furrowing his brow in confusion, Gajeel took several long strides and towered over Ryos, clenching and unclenching his fists in the attempt of calming himself down even a little. "The fuck happened?!" he growled through tightly gritted teeth.

"I…" Ryos breathed, "Took… A h-hit for…" He hissed in pain, still failing to ignore just how excruciating the pain was in his whole body.

Gajeel growled again, his upper lip curling at the thought of either Lucy  _or_  Ryos being hurt by those Fairies. The boy was part of the package if he was going to be with Lucy, and Gajeel fully accepted that simple fact. If he was going to protect Lucy, then her family would be protected as well. He knelt down and slowly moved Ryos' arms away from his torso, noticing the new bruises and scrapes all along his skin. Once Gajeel lifted the kid's shirt, he was right back to being absolutely furious. He'd seen what Ryos had looked like the first night they had all slept at Lucy's place. The kid was weakened from trying to eat his element, and Gajeel had been the one to help him get into the bath afterwards. Because of that, Gajeel knew just how badly  _he_  had injured the boy less than a week prior. Instead of the bruises that were already starting to fade, Ryos had several areas covering his torso that had turned completely black with the damage that had been wrought on him. "I'll fix you up when we're heading out," Gajeel growled. "You need to get some shadows in ya to heal so you can talk to me. I've gotta know what the fuck happened to her."

Ryos nodded and focused on channeling his magic into his throat. It was getting easier and easier every time he attempted to eat the shadows around him, and he allowed more tendrils of his own shadows to sweep out into the room to pull his nourishment back into himself. Once he'd finished, Ryos at least felt as though he could breathe. The plus side of their magic was that eating their element helped to heal the worst of their injuries for a short period of time, so he was able to at least tell Gajeel what he needed to know. The only problem was that now he was wracked with insurmountable guilt for being a failure. Both as a Dragon Slayer… and as a brother.

Gajeel picked Ryos up and set him down on one of the beds, then began pacing back and forth. "They took her."

Ryos nodded when his eyes met with Gajeel's.

"She's hurt."

Ryos winced and nodded again. "Really badly," he whispered, his eyes widening when Gajeel roared and punched a hole through the wall in one strike.

"How bad?"

"Y-You don't wanna know, Ga—"

"Don't  _fuckin'_  tell me whether or not I wanna know!" Gajeel roared again, lifting his opposite fist and punching another hole in the wall. "What did they do to my Bunny?!"

"She ended up doing more damage to herself than anyone else did…" Ryos said guiltily. "It's… It's my fault… I tackled one of the guys so he couldn't hurt her, but when he threw me off of him… I could hardly breathe or move. Lucy saw me and tried to get to me. She tackled one guy with orange hair, but the guy I had tackled pulled her off of him. He wouldn't let her go, and she was… She was screaming for him to let her go… And… When he didn't…"

Gajeel smelled Ryos' tears, but he couldn't bring himself to look at the boy. "What did she do, brat?" he asked, closing his eyes and leaning his forearms against the wall he'd been attacking.

"Sh-She used… her wh-whip! It wrapped around b-both of th-them, and… Lucy hurt herself to h-help me! It's my fault she's gone!"

Gajeel growled and stalked over to Ryos, roughly grabbing his hair and yanking his head back. As their matching crimson eyes locked onto each other—one pair filled with a venomous rage that didn't appear to be extinguishing any time soon, and the other holding guilt and fear—Gajeel snarled at the younger Slayer. "Save your shitty little pity party for later. I need information. If you care  _at fuckin' all_  about my Bunny, then you tell me everything ya know, got it?" When Ryos nodded swiftly, Gajeel dropped him to the bed again and stalked across the room. "She's cut up all to hell then… Those spikes I put on are sharper than the ones it came with. I made a few of them serrated so different attacks would do different types of damage…"

Ryos nodded, pushing his emotions deep within himself so he could tell Gajeel everything. He had to be strong for his sister in some way so that maybe he could be forgiven for failing to protect her when she needed it. "It's mostly lash marks from the whip itself, but she was using enough force that even those were bleeding. The spikes left punctures on her legs, but she has a bunch of cuts from the other ones you made on her arms and stomach."

Gajeel nodded, listening to Ryos' explanation of how Lucy had finally gotten free, how Virgo randomly showed up, and the way that Lucy had decided she would go back into the fight even though she was on the verge of collapsing. Gajeel knew his feisty blonde was a fighter, knew wholeheartedly that she really would make the perfect mate for him, but it was killing him to hear what had happened to her. Ryos told him about the Ice mage cutting down Virgo, then instantly going to attack Lucy with a spell. Gajeel had a newfound respect for the boy when hearing how Ryos had pushed himself past the pain in his body long enough to get Lucy out of the range of the spell, then took the hit himself. All through the tale, Gajeel had been growling and pacing back and forth, telling his inner dragon to stay quiet so he could hear what Ryos was saying. He needed to know just how badly those Fairies had hurt Lucy, so he could pay them back in kind… again and again and again.

"She's out of magic, Gajeel," Ryos said worriedly. "She was already about to pass out before Virgo showed up. After I took that hit, Lucy summoned Horologium to carry me inside since I was hurt, and it just got worse. She was crying so much… I never wanted to see her like that… Horologium wouldn't let me out, even when I was banging on the glass and begging her to let me help… Just before he disappeared, he told me what was happening to her. Apparently, Lucy used the last bit of her magic to summon another gold key, and Horologium said if he closed his gate, then she'd have less strain on her… If he didn't leave, she would have died right then…"

Gajeel stopped moving altogether, his gaze distant and a whimper crawling up his throat. "D-Die?" he whispered. "N-No… Bunny can't fuckin' die… She's…" Gajeel felt his breath coming in short bursts at just the thought of Lucy being gone forever. No matter how frightened he was to lose her to her father, there was still hope of him finding her and getting her to safety again. He knew that he would go to the ends of Earthland, to the very depths of hell to bring her back from that prison she'd been raised in. If Lucy died, there wasn't a damn thing he could do to bring her back. He'd lose his Bunny for good, and then he would be alone again. "SHE CAN'T!" he bellowed.

Gajeel's inner dragon roared loudly, the sound of shifting metal screeching violently inside him as it threw its head back in anguish and outrage.  _"They're going to kill her, Gajeel!"_  it roared, the long metallic claws digging into the earth beneath its feet.  _"She needs her mate to protect her! If you don't get to her, she'll die! She could already be dead…"_  The dragon's words mirrored Gajeel's own thoughts on the matter, but it was the last sentence that threw him over the edge. It was very likely that Lucy was already dead if having a silver and gold out at the same time could have killed her, and he didn't put it past those Fairies to let her suffer and then take her corpse back to her old man—placing the blame on Phantom Lord for the whole thing.

Ryos ducked, throwing his hands over his head and curling into himself as much as possible when Gajeel snapped. Every piece of furniture in the room was thrown in one direction or another, and eventually Ryos scrambled off of the bed he was on to hide in the corner while Gajeel lost his mind. All Ryos could hear from the older Slayer were feral growls that swelled in volume until Gajeel was continuously roaring. If Ryos hadn't been absolutely terrified of being hurt right then, he would have been in awe of Gajeel; the man really sounded just like a dragon as he drowned out the deafening clanging of metal, splintering wood, and utter devastation of the crumbling stone walls. "She told me to get you!" he shouted. "I was too late! I-If I'd gotten here sooner…"

"Why the  _fuck_  would she do that?!" Gajeel roared.  _'Fuck, not her… Please, let my little Bunny be okay…'_ He felt the first sting of tears in his eyes, and did absolutely nothing to hide them. "Why didn't she go with you?! She didn't need to fuckin' keep fighting if she was so low on magic! She should have… GODDAMNIT!"

"Sh-She said…" Ryos whimpered, his fear that anything he might say to Gajeel would turn the older Slayer against him in a fit of rage, "That she was going to be a shooting star…"

Gajeel stilled and dropped to his knees, his hands roughly tangling in his hair as he roared to the heavens. His heart was hammering violently in his chest, and he felt the contents of his stomach roiling at the implications of what Ryos had said. Lucy never gave up. No matter what. He instantly remembered their first sunrise together, when she'd been running on a magic-high from her meditation. After asking what he'd seen in the sky during that sunrise, Lucy had surprised him by actually agreeing with his perspective. She just kept on surprising him after that…

_Lucy shook her head, then squeezed his hand lightly. "This is the best part," she whispered, turning to look into his eyes for a moment before looking back into the sky, "Watch."_

Gajeel remembered how happy she had been that morning, how confusing it had been for him to see her that way, and how utterly serene she was. She had held his hand, smiled and laughed, and let her happiness dance in her eyes as it filled her very being. He knew now that it was because he was seeing more than just lights in the sky when he looked at the stars with her. Lucy had been truly happy with  _him_ because she didn't feel so alone anymore. He had been the one to make her feel that way just by lying in the grass when neither of them could stand one another. That morning was the first time he saw her really smile. He felt like an idiot for not seeing how breathtaking Lucy was, or how perfectly her hand fit into his own. He could practically feel those same slender fingers he loved having anywhere on his body as they laced with his own that morning. He remembered how her eyes had bored into his, and realized in that moment that it was the first time Lucy had really seen Gajeel for who he was. It was the first time that she had looked at him with even the smallest sprinkling of love in her eyes. It may not have been love then, but there was at least affection, appreciation, any number of mushy words to describe the one look that had his heart hammering in his chest for a completely different reason.

" _Look," Lucy said again, her smile turning wide and giggling while she held onto the large hand in hers. "One final attack for the time being. A last ditch effort to come out victorious."_

Gajeel remembered it all. How awestruck she sounded by what she was seeing as if it was the first and last time she would have the chance to watch something like that. How he'd watched her smile somehow widen, how her beautiful eyes had lit up with wonder, and the way he'd been able to see the reflection of the sky in them. He'd known there were shooting stars before he even looked up into the heavens, because he saw them in her eyes first. Those shooting stars that morning really had looked like the night's final attempt at victory while they raced towards the rising sun. That morning, the night had lost and accepted defeat, but not without one last attack. The night went down swinging, but it fought with everything it had until it was beaten into submission by the sun. "Bunny's not a fuckin' quitter, brat! She's not! My Bunny's a goddamn fighter, through and fuckin' through! NO WAY WOULD SHE GIVE UP LIKE THAT!"

"She said she'd hold them off, but I could see it…" Ryos whispered, fighting to keep his emotions at bay while Gajeel heard what he had to say. "She knew they were going to take her… She wanted you to know that they got to her… She… Gajeel, she told them that they would be taking her in a body bag!"

"NO! Goddamnit, brat! NO! NOT BUNNY! Fuck… Not my Bunny! She can't be gone just like that! I… I f-failed her…" Gajeel pounded his fists on the ground, then dropped his head while his tears forced their way out of him. "I d-don't deserve her… I failed m-my… my…" He let out a strangled sob as he thought,  _'I won't get to tell her… She won't know that I want to be with her forever… I failed my mate…'_ Gajeel didn't even try to hide how this was affecting him as he let out each soul-shaking sob and roughly tangled his gloved hands in his hair, curling in on himself while he finally let it all out. If Jose walked into the room right then, he wouldn't be able to give a shit that their secret was out. He'd failed the woman he wanted to make his mate, and he might never get the chance to tell her at all. "Goddamnit, L-Lucy," Gajeel cried as his heart shattered again and again. "I fucking n-need you… Y-You promised… Fuck… Wh-What am I supposed to  _do_?!"

Never in a million years would Ryos have thought that he would see Gajeel this way. He had seen Gajeel fifty kinds of upset before, but never brought to tears. The night before flashed in his memory when he'd briefly stirred long enough to smell tears coming from the bathroom where Lucy and Gajeel were at. He had assumed that Lucy had been crying because she was happy that Gajeel was home safe and sound, but one small forgotten snippet of their conversation hazily washed itself to the forefront of his memory.

" _It sounds like you've had a really shitty day."_

" _Shitty doesn't even begin to describe it… Fucking crying like a baby all over you just adds onto it…"_

" _It's fine. I've done the same to you, remember? I seem to recall someone telling me that a few tears are perfectly fine after a long, shitty day."_

Ryos' eyebrows drew together as he looked over at the sobbing Dragon Slayer. Gajeel looked broken in a way that one of their kind should never have to deal with—like someone had killed his mate. It was so odd to see the man that he'd looked up to for so long in this state, growling and crying as he begged the woman he loved to come back to him.  _'He…_ _ **He**_ _cried last night,'_  Ryos thought sadly,  _'It wasn't Lucy, it was Gajeel…'_  Without questioning it, and taking a bit of confidence from his inner dragon's approving nod, Ryos made his way slowly over to Gajeel and knelt on the floor in front of his idol. "Gajeel," Ryos whispered sadly.

Gajeel didn't hear the boy over his own mournful cries and the dragon that was violently rebelling against the idea of his intended mate being gone. "I-I should h-have told her… I'm so fuckin'  _stupid_! Why?! Why couldn't I j-just… And… N-Now my Bunny's… She's…"

"She's not gone for good!" Ryos shouted as he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around the man his sister loved. "She's n-not, Gajeel!"

Gajeel growled at Ryos in a warning to let him mourn his loss in peace. As far as he was concerned, he'd lost Lucy. The only person in the world that had brought light into his life was gone. The woman that made him feel like he wasn't a shit-stain on the bottom of someone's shoe had been ripped away from him. "Fuck off, ya little shit!"

"NO!" Ryos yelled, tightening his grip on Gajeel and ignoring the pain that flared in his body when he was jostled. "My sister is strong, and she deserves to have a mate that can take care of her! One that can pick her back up when she falls down, just like she does for him. She didn't fight so hard just for you to give up on her! She believes in you, Gajeel! She knows you'll find her, and that you'll save her!"

"Wh-What makes you so goddamn s-sure of that?"

"Because she loves you, and you love her," Ryos whispered. He slowly moved his hands to Gajeel's shoulders and forced the older Slayer to sit up and meet his eyes. Two pairs of bloodshot ruby eyes looked at one another, tears streaming down both owner's cheeks. Ryos reached up and brushed away Gajeel's tears with his thumbs as he said, "She told me yesterday that she'll always believe in you. We were just sitting at home and talking, and I asked her if she was worried about you. It was after she called you, and she was tense for a little while… All Lucy did was smile and shake her head, and she told me that she had faith in you, that you wouldn't go back on your promise to her. You promised her that you'd keep her safe, Gajeel. Even if you never said it in words, that bite is an  _oath_  to her… You know what it means, whether you've marked her or not. Her bite is the same, even if she doesn't know it. You  _both_ promised… Don't you remember what your dragon said?"

The memory of Metallicana giving Gajeel a speech very similar to this one instantly slammed into his brain, clearing out all other thoughts. He could hear his father's words ringing in his memory as clearly as if it was happening right then, and realized it was because  _he_  was the one saying it out loud. "Your bite is an oath, just as hers is. You're swearing on everything you believe in, everything that you are, that you'll protect her forever." As Gajeel continued, even his inner dragon was reciting the same words his father had told him so long ago. "She'll be your weakness, yes, but she'll also be your strength. The first bite, and every bite afterwards, is a renewal of your oath to one another. To love and be loved, to protect without hesitation, to save one another, to put never-ending faith in the one who holds your heart and happiness. She will be a light in your life that you never knew you needed, and you'll be the same for her. The bite will not only make your intention of eternity with one another known, but it will be the beginning of your oath to protect and cherish…"

"You've gotta save her, Gajeel… She promised that she'd find a way to come back, but she needs you." Ryos looked pleadingly into Gajeel's eyes for only a moment before dropping his hands to his lap and letting his chin rest against his chest. "Please, Gajeel… Don't give up on my sister… She said we'll never be alone again…"

Gajeel slowly lifted a hand to one of the bites on his shoulder, pushing his fingers beneath the feathered sleeve to run them along the scab. "What if I'm too late?" he whispered to himself. "I'll never forgive myself if she's gone…" A sharp twinge of pain radiated from the wound he was touching, and Gajeel winced as he pulled his fingers away to see if he'd dislodged part of the scab on accident. There wasn't any blood, but he figured it must have just been tender.

"You won't be too late…" Ryos whispered.

"You can't know that…"

"I have faith in her, and in you," Ryos said, keeping his eyes on the ground and wrapping his arms around his midsection. "She'll fight with everything she's got to get out of there, even if it kills her. And I know you'll fight to get her back home to us… It's just a matter of you getting there fast enough."

"Right, it could already be too late, brat," Gajeel growled.

Ryos flinched and shook his head. "You'll never know if you don't try, Gajeel… What do you think Lucy would tell you right now? If she was able to say anything at all, what do you think she'd say?"

"Who fuckin' knows? That woman's a goddamn lunatic," Gajeel grumbled.

Ryos smiled softly and looked up at Gajeel. "She'd probably say something like, 'Look, Black Steel, I didn't kick my  _own_  ass trying to kill these stupid fucking Fairies just for you to give up on me now. So why don't you get that shiny metal ass down here and help your Bunny out?'" When Gajeel gaped at Ryos, he chuckled and shrugged. "That's what I think she'd tell you… Then again, she's just as likely to start a fist fight with you and call you a 'bitch baby', so… Either way…"

Gajeel couldn't help but chuckle and pull Ryos into his arms, holding his frail body as carefully as possible to keep him from feeling more pain. "You're a really good fuckin' kid, Ryos," he whispered, gently nuzzling the boy's inky black hair when his slender arms returned the gesture. "We're not gonna be alone again, okay? I'm gonna bring our Bunny back safe and sound."

"Good, because I'm gonna give her a huge hug, and then hightail it out of the apartment when you finally come clean about those bites."

"It's not gonna be that bad…"

"Gajeel, knowing Lucy she'll either fight you or fuck you," Ryos stated matter-of-factly, laughing right along with Gajeel. "Either way, I  _really_  don't wanna be around for that."

Gajeel took a deep, calming breath and said, "Alright, let's get our asses back out there. Aria's waiting. You're comin' with me."

"Where are we going?" Ryos asked as they separated and stood up. He watched Gajeel grab several sets of gauze and anything else they might need to tend not only Ryos' wounds but the ones Lucy sustained as well.

"Headquarters. It's a mobile unit, and we're gonna get our asses down to Magnolia to get our Bunny back."

"But, Master—"

"He was already planning on doing it," Gajeel said as he tucked everything into a small bag, adding alcohol, needles and thread to the first aid kit he'd made. "I'm gonna have to tell him that she got taken, but I want you to stay hidden until I get her back."

"Why?"

"Because Master might be pissed that you didn't do more to help her out," Gajeel growled. Before Ryos could feel too bad about it, he said, "The only one you need to worry about is  _yourself_  right now. You helped her as much as you could, and took a serious beating out there. She'll be pissed if you get hurt even more from trying to push yourself too hard, so take a breather."

"Why should I even go then…" Ryos muttered.

"Because the first two people she's gonna want to see is the two of us," Gajeel said with a smirk. "Little Psycho got two dragons wrapped around her finger, so if you wanna see that smile of hers when you surprise her by being safe and waiting for her, you'll come with me. Unless you really  _want_  to stay cooped up at her place…"

Ryos' eyes went wide and he quickly shook his head. "God, no! It's no fun without her there… I wanna see her smile."

"Good. Now put that stealth shit to good use, and don't let anyone see that you're coming with us," Gajeel whispered. Just before he jumped up into the rafters where Aria was waiting for him, he felt Ryos grab onto the back of his shirt, and whispered, "Also, I expect an explanation later on why  _you_  know about my shiny metal ass."

* * *

Erza was glaring a hole through the floor during the train ride back to Magnolia. She wished there was a faster way to get Master Makarov to Porlyusica, but they just didn't have the means to do it. They were two hours into the four-hour train ride, and she'd finally had enough. She quickly strode past the seats that held the rest of her guild mates until she came to the final compartment in the car that Fairy Tail had commandeered as a makeshift infirmary to bandage up anyone that needed it. Peering inside the small window, she saw only Loke sitting on one bench, and across from him was the unconscious blonde they had come to 'rescue' in the first place. With a sigh and a shake of her head, Erza stepped into the compartment and closed the door behind her, keeping her eyes on the harrowed expression on Loke's face for only a moment before narrowing her gaze suspiciously at the blonde head of hair opposite him.

"Erza, she's unconscious," Loke said wearily, moving closer to the window so the redhead could take the space next to him.

"Why are you even still in here, Loke?" Erza asked, the sounds of her armor shifting filling the compartment while she took the proffered seat. "I can stand guard and make sure she doesn't try to harm anyone."

"I'll be surprised if she even wakes up," Loke said as his hand clutched Lucy's keys in his pocket.

"What happened, Loke?" Erza asked after several pregnant minutes of silence. "Gray says it's best to talk to you about it. That you hesitated in attacking her, and stopped him from doing so as well."

"Erza," Loke said with a sigh. He took his sunglasses off and rubbed his eyes, then replaced them and looked tiredly at the guild's strongest conscious mage. "We should really bandage her up…"

Erza's eyes narrowed at him, then she looked over at Lucy again. She had only really taken notice of the blonde hair and revealing clothes that matched what Lucy was wearing before the fighting started. Now though… She was actually seeing scores of gashes and punctures along the blonde girl's body, along with several burns on her arms. "Why haven't you—" she started to ask, infuriated by Loke's lack of compassion for the girl who was still slowly bleeding from several of her wounds.

"It's not  _me_ , Erza," Loke nearly growled. "I told Gray to bring some supplies back after he got patched up. He should be back soon…" He paused and trained his gaze on the ground before he continued. "Gray said I've been acting strangely ever since we saw her picture. I can admit, I have been… But, it's because of the magic she uses. I've known a few Celestial mages—before I joined Fairy Tail—and none of them were good people. Lucy seems like a really nice girl…"

"Loke, you saw what she did back there… Cana only  _just_  woke up from her fight with Lucy."

"From what I can tell, any one of us would have done the same thing if we were in her shoes," Loke whispered. "Erza, most of these are from her own whip. A kid from Phantom came and tried to help her, but he got hurt and she flipped out. Gray had a hold on her, but he wouldn't let her go… So she started using her whip on him, and it wrapped around to hit her too. She didn't stop until Gray let go…"

"She seems to be a very resilient opponent," Erza said solemnly. "Cana has already told me the basics of her own fight with Lucy."

Loke nodded, then said, "Gray was taking her spirits out left and right. One of them even came without Lucy summoning her, and Lucy  _still_  tried to fight. She had the spirit check out the kid to make sure he was alright, even though she was almost out of magic… Gray threw an attack, knowing she would dodge it, and took the spirit out when she was taking care of the kid. Then tried to hit Lucy with another spell, and the kid pushed her out of the way…"

"Who is this boy?" Erza asked. "We didn't see a single child there…"

"She had some clock spirit take him away," Gray said with a frown as he came into the compartment. He looked down at the gauze and other supplies he'd brought with him so that they could get Lucy bandaged up. There was a huge part of him that wanted the blonde girl to suffer—especially since he'd take some time to chat with Cana and see if maybe he couldn't learn something new. With a sneer, Gray tossed the supplies over to Loke and turned to leave.

"Gray," Erza said firmly, scowling when he tried to walk away. She stood up and helped Loke move Lucy's unconscious form to the ground so he could clean her up, and her eyes widened when she saw just how much blood had soaked into the cushion Lucy had been lying on. "Get in here and help bandage her up. This should have been finished once the train started moving."

"She'll be fine, Erza," Gray shot back. Normally he would  _never_  talk back to Erza like that, but as emotions were running at an all-time high, he was too caught up in his own to use reason.

"Gray," Loke growled, lifting his head to narrow his eyes at his best friend, "Most of these are from what you did in the first place!"

"I didn't  _do_  anything to cut her up!" Gray shouted. "She's the one that started whipping the  _both_  of us like a fucking lunatic!"

"Explain," Erza said forcefully as she leaned over and dragged Gray into the room. "You will assist in bandaging her up, Gray. Regardless of your feelings towards the situation, she is in need of medical treatment."

Gray grumbled under his breath and grabbed a cloth. After dipping it in a bowl of warm water, he sighed as he cleaned the blood and dust from Lucy's arm. With her arm limply draped over his hand, and his fingers pressed to her pulse, Gray's brow furrowed when he felt how weak it was. "What the hell?" he whispered.

"Exactly," Loke hissed.

"I'm waiting."

Gray sighed and said, "Some kid showed up outta nowhere and tackled me after I took out one of her spirits. She had Loke pinned to the ground, so I threw the kid off and went after her. She flipped her shit when I wouldn't let her go, and started using her whip to hit my back. Apparently, it hit her once or twice—"

Loke rolled his eyes and turned to Erza. "Every time Gray's back was hit by Lucy's whip, it kept going and hit her as well. The  _reason_  she was freaking out was because the kid that had tackled Gray was apparently already hurt before, and he was trying to protect Lucy."

"Right," Gray said, furrowing his brow as he looked at the dozens of small wounds Lucy had inflicted on herself to get away from him. "So, she ran over to the kid and some spirit popped up outta nowhere… I took that one out, and then she started freaking out  _again_. Some clock thing popped up and she put the kid inside of it, then after he was gone she brought out this mermaid thing, and passed out from magical exhaustion. And here we are."

Erza narrowed her eyes at Gray's vague recollection of the events, seeing by the way Loke tensed that there was clearly more to the story. "Fill in the blanks, Loke."

"Gladly," Loke drawled as he stared applying a light antiseptic to Lucy's legs. "What Gray ' _forgot'_  to mention was that Lucy was crying over the kid. She really cares about him, and he was already hurt before today. She said that she saved him, but I don't know if that's true. When she sent that spirit away with the boy, he was screaming to let him out so he could protect her. It was like she forgot we were even there while she talked to him." Loke paused and shook his head sadly, moving on to the cleaned wounds on Lucy's stomach. "She was crying over her keys, Erza. There's more to this than we'd originally thought, but she made it seem like we were going to be taking them from her."

"Well, it would be unwise to leave an opponent with their weapons," Erza stated matter-of-factly.

Loke sighed and shook his head, feeling a slight twinge of pain in his heart to hear one of his own guild mates refer to spirits as weapons. "No, I mean… Like she wouldn't  _ever_  get them back. She sounded so heartbroken… It's not like we'll send her back to her father's without her keys. Just… When she wakes up… I think we should try to figure out what's going on. She was fighting really hard to stay there for some reason, she's part of that guild, and… This just doesn't sit well with me."

"How so?" Gray asked. "She's just some runaway rich girl."

"She ran away?" Erza asked, confusion lacing her voice. When Loke and Gray nodded, she frowned and looked at Lucy again. "We will keep a close watch over her until she wakes up, and then listen to her side of the story. Once Master has been healed, he can decide the best course of action."

"What do you mean?" Gray asked. "The mission is to take her back to her old man. Just finish it up, and be done with it."

"Gray, there's more than just finishing the mission," Erza explained while she pulled a blanket from the overhead compartment and carefully laid it on the blood-soaked seat. She turned and helped settle Lucy back in place, then said, "Especially in this case, since we're dealing with retrieving another  _person_. The stories don't match up, and we must get to the bottom of this. In the event that Lucy actually ran away and wasn't kidnapped, then there must be a reason for it."

"Because she's a spoiled—"

"Gray, what the fuck is your problem with her?!" Loke hissed, rounding on the battered Ice Make mage. "She nearly killed herself trying to stop us from taking her. That last spirit she summoned only sent out  _one_  attack before she just held onto Lucy. She was using her  _own_  magic to stay in our world when Lucy passed out because Lucy's was nearly gone! She didn't pass out from blood loss, and you know it. It's because she almost  _died_  trying to get us to stop and fucking leave her alone!"

"Why are you defending her?!" Gray shouted, unconsciously discarding his pants. "Look at her guild mark! She's the reason Levy got attacked! Cana even said the same thing… That Lucy  _told_  her about it! This chick is insane, and the sooner she's back with her dad, the better."

"Did you ever consider the fact that maybe  _he's_  the reason she ran away?!" Loke shouted as he clenched his fists at his sides. He refused to bring his conversation with Aquarius into this, knowing it would only raise more questions, so he had to choose his words carefully even with how angry he was getting. Because he knew at least a portion of Lucy's reasoning for wanting to stay in Phantom Lord—and even though he didn't exactly agree with her choice in a guild—he wanted the girl to have a chance to let everyone know just what she was fighting to stay away from. Fairy Tail was a great guild, understanding and caring to a fault, so once they knew the truth it would only be a matter of time before Lucy was released. "I hate that Levy, Jet, and Droy were nearly killed just as much as you do, Gray. But you have to at least consider the possibility that they aren't the only victims here."

"She sure isn't acting like a damn 'victim'," Gray shot back with a scowl. "If she was, then wouldn't she have been begging us to leave her alone? She wouldn't have been fighting against us! And she  _definitely_ wouldn't have been laughing over the pain that other Dragon Slayer caused Team Shadowgear!"

"You—" Loke started before being cut off by Erza stepping between himself and Gray before they came to blows.

Erza shook her head as she looked over at Lucy, then turned a hardened gaze to Gray. "From what I can tell, based on what you two have told me of your fight against her along with Cana's description of her own interaction with Lucy, she did tell all three of you to leave her alone. Not every person reacts the same way in stressful situations, especially when they are of a personal nature. If Lucy really did run away, and if her father is the reason for it, then she  _is_  a victim."

"Erza, you can't  _really_  expect me to believe that she's just another victim in this whole thing. It started because of her!" Gray said firmly, not even registering the warmer air of the compartment breezing past his utterly naked flesh.

"We were tasked with finding and retrieving her," Erza stated. "If she is unwilling to return to the place she ran away from, for any number of reasons, then it isn't our place to force that on her. Victims do not always react the way we expect them to…" Erza paused as she got lost in thought concerning a time when even she had been a victim. A time she longed to forget, when Jellal was taken away, her eye had been gouged out… She had been a victim in the Tower of Heaven, along with countless others, but she had forged ahead and now she was free. "Not everyone will beg and plead on their knees for what they want, Gray." As she continued, Erza's voice held a deep sadness that she didn't realize was wholly unsettling to the other two mages. "Sometimes, they do fight back. And when that happens… They fight with everything they have, because it's better than the alternative. We know nothing about Lucy Heartfilia, or who she is as a person. It stands to reason that what she did today was her own way of fighting against being victimized again…"

Gray's mouth opened to shout at Erza, but his words died in his throat. He slowly closed his mouth again, looking long and hard at the slightly darkened expression on the Requip mage's face, then turned to look at Lucy. The blonde woman had quite literally given it her all in the fight against himself and Gray. She had attacked Natsu when he hurt one of her spirits. She had cried over the black-haired boy that was taken out of the fight… and she had promised him that she would find a way back… after saying she loved him. "I'll… I'll believe it when I see it, Erza," he said softly. With that, he turned and walked back out of the compartment, deciding that he couldn't stand to be near any of the three of them any longer. Loke had been confusing him all day with his attitude shift, Erza was always hard to read and terrifying to oppose… and Lucy… He didn't know what to make of her anymore. Gray wanted to be mad at her, to hate her for everything that his guild mates had endured. But… Somewhere between the conversation he'd just had, and his own memories of what she had done during their fight…  _'Maybe Loke's right,'_  he thought,  _'Maybe there's more to this than we realized…'_

 


	16. Arc 1: Let Me Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter follows the events of Episodes 23 [15 Minutes] to 26 [Wings of Flame].

 

Lucy winced as she slowly regained consciousness. It took everything in her to keep herself still so she could figure out exactly where she was at, but she didn't want anyone to know she was awake just in case she could make a break for it. The last thing she remembered was calling out Aquarius's incantation, and then nothing. She wanted more than anything to know if Ryos was alright, if Horologium had been able to get him inside before Fairy Tail had found him. And Gajeel… All Lucy could do was hope that he realized she had been taken, and that he was already well on his way to finding her here.  _'Wherever here is,'_  she thought.

" _Okay… headquarters is… Try and hit 'em… long range spells… southeast hill…"_

She could hear tons of voices around her, although the blood slowly pumping through her veins seemed to be drowning out the majority of any other auditory stimuli. She tried to maintain an even cadence to her breathing to best mimic unconsciousness while letting her senses return to her. This was one of the things Gajeel had mentioned when he said she needed to learn to use more than sight. This exact scenario: her being kidnapped and knocked out, then waking up in a strange place and needing to figure out how she'd get free. She only wished they had more time for her to really hone this particular skill.

"…  _Bringing… explosive… next time…"_

"…  _Gonna… spell books… holder type… archives…"_

None of the small snippets of conversation she heard were making any sense, but it didn't really matter when her body decided to fully awaken and bring about an endless amount of pain with it. She gasped and grit her teeth, unable to keep up the ruse of sleep any longer as her eyes shot open. "Son of a bitch…" she whispered, clenching her eyes immediately while she tried to combat a wave of nausea that swept over her. Her fight with Gray and Loke had already been on her mind with her concern over Ryos' well-being, so she wasn't surprised that she was in pain. No, what had surprised her was that there didn't seem to be anything she could do to stop it. Lucy tried to curl in on herself only to meet with resistance and an ache in her wrists that rivalled Gajeel's own iron grip.

"Oh, you're awake…"

Lucy sneered and opened her eyes again to see Gray standing in front of her, wearing not a stitch of clothing. "Put your goddamn clothes on," she ground out through the pain. "No one wants to see that sorry excuse for a dick flopping all over the place." She grinned when Gray clenched his fists as a soft chuckle sounded just off to her left.

"Told you, Stripper," Natsu chortled.

"Aww, does the  _baby_  dragon think that's funny?" Lucy turned her head to glare at Natsu, finding a great deal of satisfaction when she saw he had bandages wrapped around his midsection from his fight with Gajeel. "Why the fuck am I tied up?"

"Because we can't trust you," Gray replied as he begrudgingly pulled on a pair of pants that had been thrown at his face by Macao. "You have a tendency to attack people without listening to reason."

"Oh, that's  _rich_  coming from the guy that attacked a little kid!" Lucy shouted, gaining the attention of everyone in the guild and causing the entire room to fall eerily silent. Another wave of nausea rolled through her, and she barely managed to stifle a groan. After a few deep breaths, she whispered, "You'd just better hope he's alive, or I swear you'll be begging me to fucking kill you."

"Tough talk from the girl tied to a pillar. You're not going anywhere."

Lucy paused and looked around and took in the disheveled basement, the makeshift bar with a large lacrima sitting on one end, random debris and rubble strewn about the floor, and just how many Fairies were sporting bandages. Black dots spotted her vision when she turned her head to quickly, but Lucy just grit her teeth and bit her cheek to make her pain radiate in one spot. A dark chuckle slipped past her lips when she turned to glare at Gray again. "Correction," she said softly, "It's coming from the girl that's tied to one of the weakest pillars down here. The same one that's about to rip your face off for hurting him."

"Why—"

"Enough!" Mira said sternly, coming to stand between Lucy and Gray. She levelled him with a hard glare, and sighed when the Ice Make mage backed down. Slowly she turned back to Lucy to give the young blonde a sad smile. "Sorry about him," she said sweetly, "Gray—"

"Shut up, Mira."

If everyone hadn't been watching for themselves, no one in the guild would have believed it. Lucy Heartfilia—the girl they had brought back to the guild that was unconscious from magic depletion, severely injured, and tied to a pillar (an idea that very few had been opposed to from witnessing how she'd been fighting in the Phantom building)—had told  _Mira Jane Strauss_  to 'shut up'. Talking back to the barmaid was unheard of, but downright telling her to shut up? It was a death sentence.

Mira took a deep breath and shook her head. "I know you're hurt and confused right now, but we can help you," she said softly.

"You wanna help me? Un-fucking-tie me, and let me go home!" Lucy screeched. She fought against her restraints for all of five seconds before the rope binding her hands together caused a jolt of pain to wrack her exhausted body and a wave of vertigo to wash over her. "Let me go," she whispered weakly, grinding her teeth at the tremor in her voice.

"We won't do that until Master is healed," Mira replied. "He gave us orders to bring you back here, and with Phantom most likely launching a counter-attack we can't send anyone out to take you back to your father yet."

Lucy chuckled again while she looked back up at the soft blue eyes that were watching her every move. "So, that Drain spell worked on him, huh? Aria's definitely got some respect from me now."

"You knew it would happen?!" Gray shouted.

"Sure," Lucy replied, swallowing the bile that crawled up her throat. "Me and all the S-Class mages knew what was going down today." She very intentionally didn't mention that she only knew because Gajeel had told her everything before Fairy Tail showed up, and the look in some of their eyes told her that several of them believed she was grouped in with Phantom's S-Class. That suspicion was only confirmed by Mira herself.

"How could you be S-Class if you've only been missing a month?" Mira asked in confusion. Erza had told her that she wanted to question Lucy about the request, but Mira had insisted that Erza go and take a shower to relax for a minute, and that she would handle talking to the young battered blonde. She hoped that maybe a fresh face, someone that Lucy hadn't actually been fighting against, would help to make her more amenable to giving them answers.

"Maybe because I ran away over six months ago?" Lucy asked condescendingly. She grit her teeth as she pushed her back against the pillar and forced herself to stand. No way in hell was she going to sit on the ground and let everyone see up her skirt. Another wave of vertigo crashed through her once she was on her feet, and Lucy took a shaky breath when her legs began trembling under her weight.

"Please, just sit down. You really shouldn't be pushing yourself like this," Mira whispered as she took a step closer, only to pause when she saw Lucy's legs tensing in preparation for a kick if she came within range. Mira hadn't agreed with tying Lucy up like this when it had been suggested, but she was outnumbered by the other guild members that had seen Lucy fighting. She couldn't see how the girl was any threat in her condition, but there was a small sense of respect that washed over her when she saw just how determined Lucy was to stand against them.

Loke sighed and took a step forward, placing a hand on Mira's shoulder and giving her a small smile. He cleared his throat while turning back to face Lucy, only to see nothing but pure hatred shining in her eyes. "Can you tell us why you were fighting so hard to stay there?" he asked. There was no point in trying to beat around the bush and make nice with Lucy, because she wasn't going to buy it. His conversation with Aquarius, paired with what he'd seen at the Phantom guild, had been on his mind nonstop for the entire train ride back to Magnolia. He'd been the one to carry Lucy to the guild, and like Mira, he hadn't been too keen on tying Lucy up. It would only make her less responsive to civil conversation.

"What's the fucking point? I already tried to tell you assholes to leave me the hell alone at my guild, and you didn't want to listen."

"We do now," Mira said earnestly. "Please, help us understand why you would fight so hard to stay in a place like that…"

' _Because the two people I love more than anything are there,'_  Lucy thought sadly. "If I tell you, will you let me go?" she asked. Mira only gave her an encouraging smile. With a sigh, Lucy leaned her weight against the pillar and said, "My father hired you twats to bring me back to his estate. He's a goddamn liar, and only gives a shit about making a quick buck. Not me. I ran away when he decided that his business was worth more than his own daughter's happiness. I joined Phantom about four months ago. That's all you need to know."

"There's more to it," Loke said firmly. "That spirit of yours said as much."

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, that same odd feeling of familiarity she'd gotten when she saw his magic earlier returning in droves. The only spirit he could have been talking about was Aquarius, since none of the others had been in a position to sit down and have a chat. Then again, Lucy didn't know if trying to summon Aquarius had even worked, and she was one of the spirits that was least likely to have a civil conversation with anyone. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"What about your keys?" Loke asked, his fingers brushing over the bits of silver and gold in his pocket. He watched in amazement as the mere mention of her keys brought a deep sadness to Lucy's eyes while she started thrashing wildly to free herself.

"Give me back my keys, you rat bastard!" she screeched, having noticed the way Loke's hand had shifted in his pocket and hearing only the smallest remnant of that familiar metal shifting against itself. She didn't have enough energy to keep fighting, and the trembling in her legs only increased along with the pain in her wounds until she dropped to her knees and gulped down large breaths. "Give… th-them… back," she panted, feeling a cold sweat start trickling down her spine. The bile that had been trying to push itself out of her was sitting just at the back of her throat, and she swallowed thickly to try and get it back down.

"Just tell us what the hell is going on!" Cana shouted from her spot on the floor across the basement, glaring at the cards in front of her while she tried to get a read on where Mystogan was at.

"You… wanna know… so fucking badly?" Lucy panted, hissing when she forced herself to stand up again. "Fine. That fucker is trying to marry me off to the highest bidder. All so he can make some extra fucking money."

A look of confusion was painted across Mira's face as she said, "Members of high society don't—"

"Oh, no. You're right," Lucy sneered. " _My mistake_  for thinking I know anything about the people I was raised around. Let me help your ass understand a little better. Marriage contracts, where the parents choose who you're betrothed to, are based on fucking  _money_. Whoever makes the best offer for the daughter, gets the prize."

"That's why you ran away? Because he wanted you to get married?" Gray asked incredulously. "You tried to kill us over  _that_?!"

"Yes."

"See? She's a goddamn psycho!" Gray shouted in exasperation, discarding his pants yet again.

"Am I?" Lucy asked softly, turning her saddened gaze to the ground while several Fairy Tail members mumbled their agreement. "I didn't realize it was psychotic not to want to be whored out by your own father…" That gave everyone pause, and Lucy sighed while she looked back up at Loke. "I had no choice. That marriage contract, the only reason he wants me back, means that I'll be sold to some fat, old, rich pervert. I'll have to have his kids, because it's expected of me—even though the thought of it makes me want to vomit. He hired you assholes just so I can get violated for the rest of my life… He'll take my keys, and I'll be locked up forever.  _That's_  why I tried to kill you… And why I won't stop trying until you let me fucking go and leave me the hell alone."

"Whaddya mean 'violated'?" Natsu asked, furrowing his brow and feeling his inner dragon growling at the word.

Lucy blinked repeatedly while she looked over at Natsu. "You can't be serious," she mumbled to herself. Shaking her head, Lucy slowly said, "I mean… I would be forced to have sex with someone against my will… My father is trying to sell me to get  _raped_  for the rest of my life. That clear it up for you?"

Natsu's eyes widened, a low growl rumbling through him. "That's disgusting," he sneered. "What kind of guy would do that to his own daughter?!"

"Jude Heartfilia," Lucy spat. "Now let me go!"

Mira frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't want to believe that someone could do something so cruel to their own child, but it was possible that everything was being blown out of proportion… Or that Lucy was lying. "We can't let you leave here until Master has recovered. He can listen to your side of the story, and make a decision."

Lucy's vision was bathed in vermillion when unbridled rage swept through her. It turned everything red and foggy, and she was hardly aware of what she was screaming at the Fairy trash that had lied to her. "You said I could go if I fucking told you! Let me leave! Give me my goddamn keys, and stay the hell away from me!"

Mira ignored Lucy as she turned and walked toward the lacrima on the bar. She channeled her magic into it and waited for an answer while she looked down at the ground sadly.

"What?" the deep voice from the large orb growled.

"Master's seriously injured, and we can't seem to locate Mystogan…" Mira said softly as she looked up at the lacrima. "You're the only one left that we can turn to… Help us, Laxus." When Laxus simply sneered at her, Mira fought back a wave of tears and added, "We could really use you about now. Fairy Tail is in terrible danger."

Laxus let out a bark of laughter. "Man, Makarov is freakin' pathetic! I don't see how this is  _remotely_  my problem. You're big girls, so deal with it yourselves."

"So you're not gonna help us?!" Cana shouted as she stood to her feet, staring incredulously at Makarov's grandson.

"Of course not! Why would I?! That senile old bastard started this. Why do  _I_  have to be the one to clean up  _his_  mess?"

"Please, Laxus," Mira pleaded as tears gathered in her eyes. "Phantom's going to attack any minute now to get to Lucy…"

"Who? Do I even know her?" Laxus asked with another sneer.

"No, and thank  _fucking_  god for that!" Lucy shouted. "I don't need more of you little fuckers bothering me!"

Laxus turned his gaze to look at the owner of that indignant little voice, and his eyebrow raised curiously when he took in her tattered, skimpy clothes, bloody bandages, smoking body with a huge rack. He paused at her face, narrowing his eyes when he saw just how much hatred and disgust was marring what he would have otherwise called attractive. Then, he raked his eyes over her again only to stop when he saw a Phantom Lord guild mark on her taut stomach. "I'll tell you what, if you can talk Blondie into being my woman, I'll do anything she wants…"

Lucy sneered at the image of Laxus Dreyar. She didn't give a flying fuck how powerful he thought he was. It's not like he was going to show up in the first place, even  _she_  could see that. "I'd rather masturbate with steel wool and rubbing alcohol to roadkill than be 'your woman', you pathetic little Fairy cunt!"

"Oh, Blondie's got a mouth on her," Laxus chuckled. "I like 'em feisty."

"You are such a pig!" Cana shouted.

"Are you sure you wanna talk that way to a guy you're beggin' to help you? Do me a favor. If that bastard manages to pull through this, tell him he's over the hill and he should hand the guild over to me!"

The sound of Laxus' cackling was cut off as the lacrima shattered, and Mira clenched her fists while tears poured freely down her face. "I don't understand. How can someone in Fairy Tail be so heartless and cruel?"

"This has been really fun and all, but do you think maybe you could let me go?!" Lucy shouted. Everyone in the basement simply ignored her. She fought as hard as she could against the rope that was binding her to the pillar, using every last ounce of strength she possessed to try and break free. By some miracle—maybe even a small bit of luck—the poorly tied knot gave way and she lunged forward, tackling Loke to the ground. "Give me back my keys, you blinged out shitfalcon!" she screeched, wrapping both hands around his neck and squeezing with everything she was worth.

"What the fuck?!" Gray shouted, placing a fist against his palm only to have Mira stop him with a hand on his shoulder. "Mira, this isn't the time for diplomacy! You don't know what she's capable of!"

"She doesn't have a weapon, Gray," Mira whispered, wiping her tears away. "She'll tire out soon enough, and Loke is already pushing her off of him."

Gray turned back to see that Mira was right. Lucy was panting on her hands and knees a few feet away from Loke, the latter sitting up and rubbing the red marks left on his throat.

"I… Don't have… enough magic… to summon anyone," Lucy panted. She whimpered and bit her lower lip as she forced herself to stand up again, feeling her body begging her to give up. She couldn't though. There was too much on the line for her to just quit. "G-Give… them back… and… A-And I'll…"

Natsu's eyes widened when Lucy's legs gave out, and he rushed forward to catch her shivering, battered body when she started to crumple to the ground. "Lucy?" he whispered, "Are you alright?"

"L-Let… me go…" Lucy whimpered, slowly reaching a shaking hand up to the necklace Gajeel gave her to take some small sense of comfort from it. She knew that the tooth attached to it could be used as a weapon, but her body was hardly listening to her anymore. It was too weak right now. "P-Please… Just let me… l-let… me… go…"

Loke took quick steps over to Lucy when Natsu carefully lowered her to the ground. When she didn't make any move to attack him, instead panting and shivering while she struggled to keep her eyes open and held onto some thin metal chain around her neck, Loke knelt on the ground next to her and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. "She's running a fever," he said softly, moving to check her pulse. "And her pulse is really weak…"

"Well, Flame Brain over there probably just made her too hot," Gray interjected.

"Gray—"

Lucy let out a rasping laugh, then turned to look at Gray. "You're all gonna… die today," she wheezed. "They're coming for your heads… And Levy, Jet, and Droy… will wake up to find all of their friends dead…" She let out another small giggle, nibbling her lower lip while she looked up at Mira's shocked face, seeing her taking in where Lucy's guild mark was at. "If they had kept quiet… This wouldn't have happened. Makarov's… only the first of you Fairy fuckers that'll fall. You can count on  _that_ …"

"We won't let that happen," Gray said with a deep scowl as he towered over her just behind Loke. He paused for a moment, watching as Loke kept his fingers pressed to her neck to monitor her pulse, then continued. "We'll take down every last one of you Phantoms, and there's  _nothing_  you can do about it."

"Not… me…" Lucy whispered with a soft smile that was so at odds with what everyone else had seen from her so far. Her voice trailed off until only Natsu was able to hear her as she lost consciousness again. "But… my dragon… can…"

* * *

"Gajeel, are you alright?" Ryos asked worriedly. From what he could tell, they were only a few minutes from arriving in Magnolia, and he had been watching the older Slayer scarf down metal nearly the entire time they were travelling. Recently though, within the last hour of the trip, Gajeel had been unconsciously rubbing at his shoulder. He wouldn't look anywhere except for at the ground. While Ryos was happy that Gajeel had brought him along, and that he'd get to see Lucy again once they got her back, he was still worried about what would happen to anyone that got in the Iron Slayer's way.

"Good as I can get right now. Why?" Gajeel asked just before throwing a few more screws into his mouth. He growled when his arm shifted and the feathered sleeve of his tunic rubbed against the bite mark Lucy had left on him. It had been itching here and there for a few hours now, but it only happened when he moved the wrong way.  _'Note to self: Don't let Bunny bite my goddamn shoulders again. This is annoying as fuck…'_

Ryos sighed and shook his head, looking out the small window up in the rafters of the guild's headquarters. It was nearly always the safest place to hide, because people were so focused on what was right in front of them that they rarely looked up. And even when they did, he just slithered back into a darker corner. "I see the city," he suddenly said, gasping as the sight of Magnolia came into view. "And… There's the guild…" he added after a moment, narrowing his eyes while his lip curled into a sneer.

Gajeel glanced over and threw more metal into his mouth. "Good. I need her ass back here… So I can beat the fuck out of her for making my damn shoulder itchy."

"Itchy?" Ryos asked softly, glancing at the feathered sleeve. He knew that one of the bites Lucy had given Gajeel was on that shoulder, and remembered seeing how slowly it was healing only the day before.  _'How has he not put this together yet?'_

"Don't worry about it," Gajeel growled. He sighed and hefted himself up, then turned to Ryos just before jumping down from the rafters. "Stay outta sight until I come find you. If  _anyone_  finds out you're here, you're on your own. Got it?"

Ryos nodded quickly. "I'll keep eating so I can at least hug her when she comes back," he whispered.

"Good. Let's make sure Bunny gets a nice warm welcome," Gajeel whispered as he turned away, his soft smile at the thought of Lucy being in his arms again disappearing and leaving only a deep scowl when he remembered just  _why_  she wasn't already with him. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Be safe, Gajeel…"

"Can't promise that," Gajeel chuckled darkly, clenching his fists and cracking his knuckles. "But, I promise I'll bring her back." With that, he jumped down to the ground floor and took long, agitated strides to where Master Jose was holed up. The Element Four was already in place throughout the building, waiting for the first of Fairy Tail's pathetic offensive force to advance so they could be picked off like the measly little worms they were. Gajeel—after relaying to Jose that Lucy had been taken by Fairy Tail while he was keeping Salamander busy—had been tasked with finding her using his sense of smell once the order was given, and bringing her back to headquarters to make sure she was taken care of.

Jose hadn't exactly been pleased that Lucy was taken, or that she had sustained the injuries that Gajeel had told him he'd seen on her before he lost sight of the little blonde. They had no clue just what kind of condition she was in, but based on what Ryos had told him… Gajeel was going to have tons of fun ripping those fuckers to pieces for hurting Lucy. Even if she had been the one technically hurting herself, it was  _their_  fault she was put in a situation that called for it. Hell, they could be letting her just bleed out right that instant. Not even bothering to treat her wounds because she's technically an enemy. That's what would have happened if it was reversed. If Phantom had been the one to capture Lucy from Fairy Tail, and if she'd been hurt that badly, Gajeel probably would have been kicking her ass from one side of the room to the other just for fun. Just to hear her scream.

"Ah, Gajeel. Just in time," Jose said with a wide and malicious grin. He motioned lazily for the Iron Slayer to stand next to him while he sat in his chair and watched the other masked mages around the room beginning their preparations for the first attack. "We're nearly there."

Gajeel nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the wrecked Fairy Tail guild hall. He hated that his iron pillars weren't there anymore, and wondered how they had managed to pull the fuckers out in the first place without collapsing the whole damn building. Still, just the sight of it after having been there only the night before made him wish that he'd completely decimated the fucking place. He should have utterly destroyed the place these bastards called a home, not made a damn spectacle out of it. Sure, Jose wanted to make a statement, but in comparison to what Gajeel wanted… They were reading from two completely different books on the matter. Gajeel's was a warning; one of his protection over Lucy, of the power held and would use against anyone that threatened what was his. Jose's was a statement simply of superiority over some bullshit argument he'd had with Makarov. "Want me to leave once we get there?"

"No. We'll send those Fairies a message before you go and retrieve her. They might wise up and just hand her over," Jose chuckled, glancing at Gajeel out of the corner of his eye to see just how tense the Iron Slayer was. "I doubt they'll give in so easily, so you'll still get to collect her for us. And take out anyone you find on the way. I want them obliterated."

"Fuckin' gladly, Master," Gajeel growled. His lip curled into a vicious snarl when the moving building stopped completely, and he watched as dozens of Fairy Trash poured out of the back door of their guild hall on land. "I can't wait to slaughter these little piss-ants."

"That's the spirit, Gajeel," Jose said happily. "Do you see her outside with them? I'd hate to actually hit her with this…"

Gajeel's blood ran cold at the mention of any more harm coming to Lucy. His inner dragon was roaring that the barely concealed threat to her safety from Jose needed to be handled, but he tamped down the urge to attack his own guild master and searched the group of trembling Fairies for his intended mate. Blonde hair, black mini-skirt, red top, legs that went on for days, a scrumptious little waist. He didn't see her anywhere. In fact, there wasn't a single head of blonde hair to be seen in that ragtag group of pansies. "She's not there," he said after giving the gathered mages another, more thorough perusal. "You sure they'll stop it?"

Jose's grin widened, and his eyes narrowed while he honed in on a head of brilliant red hair. " _They_ won't," he whispered, "But  _she_  will…" He chuckled darkly, then said to the mages gathered around the room getting ready to power the attack, "Engage Jupiter."

The sound of stone grinding against itself echoed through the building, causing Gajeel to grit his teeth at the grating noise as it assaulted his sensitive ears. He knew Master Jose had a plan, and he had to believe that it would work out the way it was supposed to. If Erza Scarlet failed to stop the first Jupiter shot, then a good portion of Magnolia was going to be obliterated. That wouldn't have been much of a concern of his, except he didn't know where Lucy was at. His little Bunny could be inside that guild hall, and if the attack got through… Gajeel was suddenly extremely glad that the noise from the cannon extending out of the building was so loud. It drowned out the choked whimper that escaped him at the thought of Lucy having survived her kidnapping only to be annihilated by her own guild master while Gajeel stood by and did nothing to stop it.

The shot powered up, and Gajeel watched in slow motion as Erza rushed forward and requipped into an impressive set of black and silver colored armor. The raw magic power was released in a terrifying beam of light, and Gajeel's breath stalled in his throat when she brought two halves of a shield together and started to block the attack.  _'Please, let this work,'_  he thought.  _'Please… Don't take away my Bunny… I need her…'_

* * *

A huge explosion startled Lucy into consciousness, and her eyes shot open to take in her surroundings while the walls around her shook violently. She quickly closed them again when dust and small specks of stone rained down on top of her, and held her breath until the rumbling finally stopped. Her whole body was one big ball of pain, but the nausea she had been feeling earlier had gone away. She felt only the tiniest bit better, knowing that however much time had passed since she's lost consciousness was enough to start replenishing her magic reserves, even if only a little. She still felt weak and bone weary, but it was something she could push past to get the hell out of the Fairy Tail guild hall. Her eyes opened again, and she surveyed the room she was in. It was a storage room with a damn cot crammed in it. There was hardly enough room to move around otherwise, but Lucy felt like the happiest girl in all of Earthland when she saw that the door was opened just a crack.

She tentatively flexed her ankles and wrists, then sighed in relief when she realized that she wasn't restrained. Those Fairies were obviously too full of themselves if they thought she was down for the count and wouldn't need to be tied up again. Not that she minded the lack of rope around her wrists. Carefully, Lucy rolled onto her side to check and make sure the cot didn't creak. It was eerily silent. Not just the uncomfortable bed she'd been placed on, but the entire building. It was like this place had suddenly become a ghost town, with not a soul to be seen or heard. She winced while she sat up, gasping when she felt the tape holding the gauze they had put over her numerous wounds pulling at her sensitive flesh. She hadn't really paid attention to how much damage she had sustained during the fight at Phantom, only with destroying the ones that were trying to take her away, and then trying to keep Ryos safe. Now though, Lucy grimaced as she looked down at herself. There was hardly a single visible patch of skin on her. Both of her arms were wrapped in gauze from her shoulders to her wrists; there were several areas across her stomach, back and legs that had large squares of gauze taped over them. Still, her guild mark was entirely visible. Her skimpy clothes were in tatters, covered in dirt and blood and sweat.

It could have been a lot worse. That was what she kept silently repeating to herself as she slowly put her feet on the ground and sat up. There was no nauseous roiling in her stomach, no dizziness. Lucy stood up as quietly as possible, wincing when the tension in her legs threatened to make her buckle as pain shot through her. She gritted her teeth and made her way to the door, peering out of the small crack to see that she was just off of the main area of the basement. She could see the makeshift bar that had been created, but there wasn't anyone around.

" _Makarov has fallen, and now Erza can no longer stand. Any chance of victory has slipped through your fingers. Surrender Lucy Heartfilia immediately. You have no choice."_

Lucy grinned, feeling utter joy and elation washing through her when she heard Master Jose's voice. They came for her. He was going to get her the hell out of here! If Master Jose was there, then that could only mean Gajeel was there as well. She was suddenly shaking with happiness, and felt as though she would faint just from the thought of Gajeel coming to get her out of this mess. She always knew that her dragon would protect her, just like he'd said.

" _That's not gonna happen!"_

" _You hear that?! Lucy's staying put!"_

Lucy's good mood quickly turned sour when she heard the Fairies refusing to let her go. She needed to show them that they didn't have a say in the matter. She was leaving whether they liked it or not.  _'Pull your shit together, Lucy,'_  she scolded herself.  _'Just because Gajeel's here doesn't mean he's gonna come to get you.'_  She knew that Gajeel would  _want_  to come for her, but Master Jose had a plan. If Gajeel was part of that plan in another capacity, then there would be no way for him to get out of it just to come to her rescue. Besides, she was perfectly capable of handling herself, so why should he have to come for her at all? No, Lucy was going to prove to everyone that she could get out of this mess on her own. First, she needed to get her keys and whip back. After that, she could make her way to the guild's headquarters and kiss the hell out of her sexy ass Slayer once they got a chance to sneak behind a closed door.

" _I won't ask again!" Jose shouted._

" _You can stop askin' now, because we're not gonna give you any other answer! We're takin' every one of you jerks down!"_

Lucy sneered as Natsu's voice rang clearly into her ears. He was so sure of himself, of this pathetic little guild, that he really thought they could stop Phantom from wiping them from the face of Earthland.

" _If death is what you want, I'll give you a second helping of Jupiter! You've got 15 minutes to ponder the folly of your actions!"_

Fifteen minutes. That was all the time she had to try and figure out how she was going to get everything done. Lucy quickly pushed the door open and looked around the room. She was still completely alone. Not even the people that had been groaning in pain and lying on makeshift beds all over the basement were in sight. She rushed through the room and searched frantically for any sign of her whip, her hand flying to the necklace Gajeel had given her in case she needed to use the Barghest's tooth to defend herself. She searched high and low, then her eyes narrowed as she looked at the bar. The one place Fairy Tail apparently couldn't live without. The home of alcohol. She dashed around the side of the bar and hunched over to search the shelves beneath it, nearly letting out a squeal of joy when she found her whip neatly coiled around the neck of a bottle of whiskey at the end of the bar.

She quickly settled her whip into its designated spot on her belt, then took a deep breath and another look around the basement to get her bearings. Lucky for her, Lucy had memorized the blueprints she'd gotten from Crux of the guild hall. The only problem was that most of the exits she would have taken were blocked off either by rubble, or by enormous crates that she guessed had been moved so the Fairies could use the basement as a bar away from bar. She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, then settled one hand on her whip while the other held tightly to her necklace as she silently made her way to the only exit from the basement.

" _You're in quite a quandary… Aren't you, Fairy Tail? There are only two ways this situation can play out. Either my troops will tear you apart, or you'll be blown away by Jupiter!"_

Lucy's eyes widened as she moved faster up the stairs, her battered body protesting each step she took. She fought past the pain to the best of her ability, wishing there was some way for her to just turn it off entirely while she tried to get out of there. Jose's phantom soldiers were no laughing matter, and if he had brought those out then he was definitely trying to kill these Fairies. The sounds of battle raged above her, and Lucy took a single deep breath just before she went through the arch that led into the guild proper. She paused and listened for any sign that someone was still inside, her heart beginning to race a mile a minute.

Silence.

She could only hope that those phantoms took out enough of the Fairy Tail mages for her to make a break for it, because if they didn't… If they failed, and those fifteen minutes passed, then Jose would fire another round from the Jupiter Cannon. She wouldn't make it out of here alive if that happened. She ran out into the main hall, then immediately ducked behind a waist high pile of debris when someone came rushing into the guild. She peeked around the corner to see Mira and Reedus moving quickly towards the basement.  _'Shit,'_  Lucy thought. They would figure out she had gone missing, and end up searching for her. That fifteen minute time limit had just been severely reduced. Once they were halfway down the stairs, Lucy bolted. She had to get out of there. She needed to find Loke and get her keys back, then get the hell away from this building.

Lucy skidded around a corner and hid again when Mira's voice rang out through the empty guild.

"Reedus, we have to find her!"

"Oui."

The two mages rushed past Lucy and ran through the door at the end of the hall, the place that was supposed to be her salvation. Sure, it would have been a smarter move to just leave through the front doors and come back for her keys when she had more manpower or strength to fight for them, but her spirits were the first friends she'd ever had. They had all fought so fiercely to try and help her. Lucy couldn't just leave them behind, not after everything they had done for her. Shoring up her resolve, Lucy ran down the hall the same way Mira and Reedus had gone. She was just about to burst through the door when it was wrenched out of her grasp. With a squeak of alarm, Lucy stumbled forward and fell into a thin, muscular chest.

"You're one hell of a fighter, huh?" Loke chuckled, grunting when a sharp jab to his ribs caught him off guard. His grip on Lucy faltered and he dragged her with him as he crumpled to the ground.

"Give me back my keys, and I'll let you fucking live," Lucy hissed, bringing up a fist while holding Loke's throat with the other hand. "I just want to get the hell out of here, and go back home."

"That's why we're trying to do…"

Lucy's head shot up at the new voice, and she ground her teeth together when she was met with Mira's deep blue eyes. "That place isn't my home. Phantom is, and it always fucking will be."

"How could a guild that's willing to do something like this be a home to anyone?" Mira questioned softly.

"Because it is. You don't need the details," Lucy shot back. "It's not like you'd fucking believe me anyway." She slowly let go of Loke and backed up several feet, her hovering over her whip as she stood to her feet. "I saw that look in your eyes. You think I'm lying about what he's trying to do to me."

"That's not—"

"Don't give me that bullshit. I  _know_  what people look like when they think I'm lying, or being crazy. Why should I fucking tell you anything? My guild is trying to get me back, and you idiots are fighting a losing battle all because you're too stupid to listen to me."

Mira let out a sigh and dropped her gaze to the ground, slowly nodding while she helped Loke stand up. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Lucy. We're not just fighting for you. It's for all of us. It's for the honor of our guild. We're proud to fight this battle. Each and every one of us."

"Honor of your guild? Why, because Levy and her team were attacked?" Lucy spat. "He should have just fucking killed them. Maybe then all of you bastards would be too goddamn distraught to fight back." A wicked grin spread across Lucy's face when Mira stared at her in shock. "How guilty would you have felt this time someone got killed, Mira? You already stopped using your magic because of Lisanna, right? What else is there for you to lose?" She took a slow step forward and giggled when tears welled in Mira's eyes.

"H-How do you know about that?" Mira whispered.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Lucy sighed. She tilted her head to one side and giggled again as she brought her free hand to her necklace. "You're worthless here, Mira… So why are you even acting like there's anything you can contribute? You only get in the way. Hasn't anyone told you that yet? You're  _useless_  in this guild."

Loke scowled and took a step towards Lucy. "You don't know  _anything_ about her, or our guild."

Lucy's grin widened and she simply shrugged. "You're right, maybe I don't know anything at all… Or maybe…" Lucy paused and took another step forward until she was directly in front of Loke. "Maybe I know  _everything_  there is to know about this shithole of a guild, Loke," she purred in his ear. "I can see it in your eyes. I know you believe me. Just give me back my friends, and let me leave here. Let me be free to live my life, instead of locked in some gilded cage." She paused to take a shaky breath, feeling her sadness beginning to take hold. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with sincerity and softer than ever. "Please, Loke… I just want to be free."

Loke closed his eyes and sighed. "I—"

Lucy grunted and stumbled forward as pain burst through her head. She barely felt Loke's arms wrapping around her to keep her from slamming into the ground, and instead tried to shake away the blurriness in her vision.

"Reedus, what the hell?" Loke asked incredulously.

"Don't be upset with him, Loke," Mira said sadly as she took a step forward. "We need to get her out of here and to the hideout. If Natsu isn't successful in destroying that cannon, then we'll just have to hope the blast isn't strong enough to take out the entire city." She took a small step forward and laid her hand over Lucy's face, using a small portion of her magic to knock her out completely. "Reedus, take her to the hideout. She won't be out for too long, but she should be safe there."

"Oui," Reedus said sadly. He lifted his shirt as the three of them made their way to the front doors of the guild. Once they were outside, he quickly painted a picture of a large warthog pulling a covered wagon. Once he activated his magic and the picture became a reality, he turned to Loke and gently pulled Lucy into his arms. He didn't agree with what was happening, and even though he had seen what Lucy did while they were fighting against Phantom he also saw that she was telling them the truth. His use of art as magic, specifically of literally bringing his art to life, had given him the ability to discern the truth in people's eyes. Lucy's eyes held so much pain and sadness while talking about her father, even when she was threatening people. There was love in them when she spoke of her guild. All he could hope was that Master Makarov made a full recovery soon, and that he would see the situation for what it really was.

"I'm counting on you to take care of her," Mira said softly. Reedus simply nodded and carefully put Lucy in the back of the wagon, leaving both Mira and Loke standing in front of the guild.

Loke sighed and turned to head back into the fight to help the rest of the guild. "I sure hope you know what you're doing, Mira," he whispered as he walked off.

Mira smiled sadly as she looked at the ground.  _'I may not be strong enough to help the others in battle, but there are other ways I can help my friends,'_  she thought. Closing her eyes, she channeled more magic than she had in a long time, and slowly transformed herself into Lucy.

* * *

Gajeel growled low in his throat when the second blast from the Jupiter Cannon was foiled. It wasn't that he  _wanted_  the fucking thing to go off and possibly kill Lucy in the process. It was the fact that fucking  _Salamander_  had beaten Totomaru. Gajeel felt like a useless piece of shit just standing there with his thumb up his ass while he waited for Master Jose to give him the order to go and get Lucy. He could have already had her back, fucked her brains out, and been cuddling up in the rafters with her until he needed to get back into the fight. But,  _no._  He had to sit and fucking wait.

Jose sneered as the Fairies let out a roaring cheer. "Don't get cocky, you haven't beaten me yet…" he said as he stood to his feet. His eyes flashed with malice as he shouted, "Awaken the giant!"

Gajeel felt his stomach flip when the building started to shift. The room they were in had a spell on it to maintain a downward force of gravity on the floor, so at least he wasn't flying all over the goddamn place while it did its thing. Still though, the movement was unsettling. It took what felt like hours for Phantom's headquarters to shift into a behemoth of a building, but once it was done he narrowed his eyes when he saw a head of blonde hair bobbing this way and that between the Fairies. His heart skipped a beat when he caught a glimpse of her face, but the look in her eyes was all wrong. There was no fire burning in their chocolatey depths. "That's not fuckin' Bunny Girl."

"How can you be so sure, Gajeel?" Jose chuckled.

"You mean aside from the fact that I'm pretty sure she doesn't own any clothing that's not showing most of her skin?"

Jose snorted and nodded. "Yes, aside from that."

"You ordered my ass to spend a whole goddamn month with that psycho," Gajeel growled, turning to look at his guild master instead of the pathetic attempt at mimicking his little Bunny. "Her run is wrong. I trained her how to run  _properly_  so she wouldn't tire herself out so quickly, and no matter how much pain she might fuckin' be in… That's not gonna change the shit I beat into her."

"This is true," Jose said as he turned to look back at the faux-Lucy. "There's more to it though, isn't there…"

"Yeah," Gajeel answered. He didn't need to look at her while she elbowed and shouldered past Fairy Tail mages, because he already knew there wasn't enough force or malice behind her hits. She wasn't using her whip to cause a little extra damage as she passed them. Lucy wasn't an overtly offensive fighter, but she enjoyed hurting people just as much as Gajeel did when she was pissed. "She's not acting like a fucking lunatic. Bunny Girl would be ripping into those fuckers left and right, throwing out insults and threats like there's no damn tomorrow. It isn't her. Looks just fuckin' like her, but  _that_  isn't how a Phantom acts."

Mira stopped at the edge of the group of her stunned guild mates, and threw her arms up into the air. "I'm right here! Get me the hell out of here!" she shouted. She had to believe that this would buy them a little more time. Mira couldn't fight with her friends, but maybe if Phantom believed that they had gotten Lucy back, then Jose would call off the attack. She tried to recall everything she possibly could about her short interaction with Lucy, and just hoped that it was enough to fool the blonde's guild master.

Jose let out a derisive snort. "Be gone… Imposter." He couldn't help but laugh when the blonde's arms fell to her sides while she stared wide-eyed at the face of the gigantic building. "Nice transformation, but you can't fool me, young lady. Lucy Heartfilia wouldn't ask for anyone's help. Phantoms don't rely on others, and anyone who does is clearly too weak."

"Wh-Why don't you believe me?" Mira asked. "It's me! Lucy!"

"Don't waste my time!" Jose roared. "Show yourself for who you truly are, you pathetic little worm!" He watched as the illusion faded to reveal none other than Mira Jane Strauss, then a wide a sadistic grin spread across his face as a large light blue magic circle appeared beneath her. Mira was pulled into the ground only to be transported between the Giant's fingers. "Did you really think your little parlor trick could fool  _me_? As punishment, I'll  _crush_  you to death as you watch your friends perish."

Gajeel couldn't help but enjoy the shock and horror present on every Fairy Tail mage's face. That little wench deserved a whole lot more than just getting squeezed like a pimple, but Gajeel didn't even dwell on it when Jose spoke again.

"Gajeel," Jose sighed, sounding almost bored as he watched the Iron Slayer from the corner of his eye, "It's time to go and get our little Lucy. Her wounds will need to be tended, so be sure to handle that before you bring her to me."

Gajeel sneered and clenched his fists, knowing that it looked like he wasn't enjoying the prospect of being anywhere near Lucy. That impression couldn't have been more wrong though. His inner dragon was dancing around like a goddamn lunatic at the mere thought of finding his little Bunny, and it took everything in him not to do the same thing. It was the mention of her injuries that had his anger returning tenfold. They had hurt what was his. These Fairies hurt his little Bunny, then took her away, and now they were trying to keep him from helping her. Now, Fairy Tail was trying to take her back to her father. "Sure," he growled as he stalked out of the room, not noticing the way Jose grinned at his retreating back.

Gajeel made his way through the winding halls, making sure to avoid the places that the remaining members of the Element Four were stationed so he wouldn't run into any Fairies that had come aboard. He jumped up into the rafters that had been holding Ryos, and frowned when he couldn't find the kid anywhere. "Brat? You still here?"

"Yeah," Ryos whispered from his hiding place in the shadows. He slowly allowed his body to become more corporeal as he slipped out of their chilly embrace, then smirked when Gajeel stared at him incredulously.

"That's creepy as fuck, Brat."

Ryos simply shrugged. "What's up, Gajeel?"

"I'm heading out to go get Bunny," Gajeel sighed. "Shouldn't be too long before we're back, so meet us in the infirmary. Master told me to take care of her wounds before she goes to meet with him."

Ryos frowned and narrowed his eyes. He had never liked the interest Jose had taken in Gajeel and Lucy's relationship, but he also felt like maybe he was just making connections where there weren't any. "Why would she need to meet with Master instead of just resting?"

"Not a damn clue," Gajeel answered honestly. "But, it's not my place to question it. He might wanna know if she got any other information that could be useful while she was here. Hell, Master could wanna make sure they didn't do anything  _else_  to her…"

Ryos' eyes widened and he melded back into the shadows when Gajeel snarled as his ruby eyes flashed with an intense fury the likes of which the young Slayer had never witnessed. Even before they left the main guild, when Gajeel was tearing the infirmary apart in his anger, Ryos hadn't seen  _this_  look. When he thought about what Gajeel had said, paired with the look in his eyes, Ryos could only come to one conclusion about what he'd meant. And that conclusion was  _very_  closely related to the small snippet he'd heard about those men in the mountains that had attacked Lucy.

Gajeel's anger was steadily rising, and he took one last look around when he couldn't see Ryos anywhere. "I'll bring her back and kill any Fairy that gets in my way," he growled before turning and rushing out of the guild's headquarters. He had a mission. Not just one for his guild master to retrieve Lucy Heartfilia. His own mission was far more important, and that was to find his little Psycho Bunny and never fucking let her go again.

* * *

_It was the dream again. Only this time, Fairy Tail was there… And they were keeping her from finding Gajeel. She couldn't lift her hands. Her feet felt like they were dragging through the mud. She could hear everyone around her laughing and jeering as the three men drew closer and closer. Clothes were torn and thrown this way and that, leaving her bare and terrified. Lucy looked down, seeing the necklace Gajeel gave her, and felt that small spark of hope instantly doused when the necklace was torn from her neck and thrown into the darkness when she tried in vain to reach for it._

Lucy whimpered and flinched, her eyelids fluttering but never actually flying open. "No… Leave me alone…" Suddenly, her eyes flew open to see a man's face hovering only inches above hers. Lucy's blood ran cold, and she screamed with all the force and volume she could muster while she tried to scramble away from him. That was when she realized her hands were bound to a chair behind her back. Lucy screamed again and tried to kick out at him, only to feel rope digging into her ankles.

Reedus backed away from her quickly, covering his ears and wincing at just how loud the girl could screams when she wanted to. "Lucy!" he shouted. "I'm not going to hurt you!"

"Liar! Leave me alone!" Lucy screeched. "L-Let me go!" She wriggled as much as possible, feeling the chair she was tied to tipping one way and then the other until she topple over. The jarring fall knocked the air from her lungs as searing pain flashed through her, wracking every inch of her already battered body with pulse after scorching pulse of it. She saw Reedus coming closer, his hands outstretched, and felt a wave of nausea pass through her that had nothing to do with her pain. She fought against her restraints, and screamed, "Stay back!"

"Just relax," Reedus said calmly, as if he was talking to a wild animal. For all intents and purposes, that's what Lucy was. She was highly unpredictable, and that had been the only reason he'd tied her to the chair in the first place. He hadn't wanted to, but he also had been ordered by Mira to keep her here until Phantom had been handled. Lucy was an impressive fighter, and extremely resilient and resourceful. If he hadn't witnessed her breaking free from her restraints in the guild's basement, then he wouldn't have even considered tying her ankles together and then securing them to the legs of the chair. If she hadn't been wearing a mini-skirt, he would have tied them individually, but that was highly inappropriate in her current state of dress. All Reedus wanted to do was help sit the chair back up so she could be a little more comfortable.

"N-No! Get away from me!" Lucy screamed in terror, feeling her body locking up in fear. Her nightmare was becoming a reality, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. No one was there to help her. She was all alone, locked in some warehouse with a Fairy, and completely vulnerable. Her eyes clenched shut tightly as she shouted, "Someone! Help me!"

A loud explosion burst in from the metal doors that sealed the front of the warehouse, sending them flying into the room and crashing into several crates filled with liquor while dust flew up into the air. A feral growl filled the building, sending an anxious chill down Reedus' spine as he turned to see a black silhouette standing in the doorway.

Gajeel took in the scene and felt his blood boiling. He'd been running through Magnolia and following that delectable sugary almond scent he loved so much, feeling the dragon inside roaring angrily when he realized it was more potent because she was bleeding. Then, he heard her scream from a few blocks away. He couldn't remember ever running that fast in his entire life, but the terror in her voice brought on an inhuman burst of speed and adrenaline. Now that he was there, he could only see red. A gargantuan man was hovering over Lucy, his hands stretched out and frozen in the air just above her. That wouldn't have been nearly as bad if it hadn't been for the state Lucy was in. Bloody bandages were covering her arms, legs, and parts of her stomach. Her clothes were disheveled and tattered. And she was bound to a chair, lying on the ground, with tears in her eyes. She looked utterly terrified, and all he could think about was what had almost happened to her in the mountains. No way in hell was he going to let some Fairy trash hurt his little Bunny. Without a second though, Gajeel gathered his magic into his mouth and let out a ferocious roar.

Lucy's eyes flew open when she heard metal screeching and swirling through the air. Reedus was knocked clear across the room with a cry of pain, and another loud explosion sounded as the entire building shook violently. Even more dust was kicked up and she curled in on herself when she saw a hulking figure rushing towards her, whimpering in fear while she attempted to back away.

Gajeel shifted his hands into metallic claws and tore through Lucy's restraints with a ferocity he'd never shown before. Once her hands and feet were free, he gathered her into his arms and instantly felt himself relaxing even though she was trembling in fear. He'd gotten to her in time, and while his inner dragon was still reminding him that they weren't out of the woods yet, he couldn't find it in himself to care right then. He had spent mere hours away from Lucy, thinking of all the horrible things that could be happening to her while he was on his way to find her. Then, he'd been stuck at the guild's monstrosity of a building while Jose launched an attack on Fairy Tail, just waiting for the order to go and get her. "Fuck, you're okay…" he sighed, nestling his nose in her hair and pulling in deep breaths of her scent.

"G-Gajeel?" Lucy whispered timidly. She pulled away from the warm, comforting chest to look up at whoever was holding her, only for a wide smile to spread across her lips. "Gajeel!" Lucy cried happily. She dove forward, wrapping her arms around him and finally letting her tears fall while he pulled her closer

"Don't cry, little Bunny," he said softly, "I've gotcha." He gently brought a hand to her cheek and tilted her head back to look into her eyes. As he wiped away her tears, he added, "I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner... You know I'd never let some shitty Fairies take you away for good."

Lucy nodded, feeling so much joy and relief flooding her system that her pain finally disappeared for a little while. "I knew my dragon would find me…" Without another thought, her hands tangled in his wild mane of hair and she forced his lips down onto hers. She moaned softly when the barbell in his tongue lightly brushed over her lip, and once she granted him entry Lucy couldn't help but smile when she felt and heard that tender purring rumbling in his chest.

"God, I missed you," Gajeel growled low in his throat, grinning when he felt Lucy shiver. He nipped at her lips before brushing his nose over hers.

"I missed you too, Gajeel. Now shut up and fucking kiss me." Lucy giggled seductively when Gajeel groaned and pulled her flush against him as their lips connected again. This was what she'd been fighting so hard to get back to. She didn't want to be in some forced, loveless marriage. She wanted her rough around the edges, raging asshole of a Dragon Slayer that knew just how to bring her to her knees. She loved being able to get him all riled up and see that fire burning in his eyes when she pissed him off, and that wouldn't happen with whoever her father made her marry.

A distant explosion rang through the air, and Gajeel pulled back from the kiss with a snarl. He wanted nothing more than to hold and kiss Lucy to his heart's content, just so he could know without a doubt that she was safe. But that would have to wait. He glanced over to see the Fairy he'd taken out was down for the count with a large wooden beam lying on top of him, and sighed in relief. At least he wouldn't have to let her go to handle the fucker. "We've gotta get goin', Bunny. No telling when those little fuckers will pop out of the woodwork."

Lucy nodded and slowly stood up, holding onto Gajeel for support when her legs wouldn't cooperate. She grit her teeth in determination and pulled away from him, feeling utterly exhausted all over again. Her legs were wobbly, but she pushed past it and tried to take a step only for them to buckle once her foot left the ground.

Gajeel let out another low growl when he caught Lucy, taking in how many bandages were covering her, and just how much blood had already soaked through them. She never should have been at the guild that morning, and this only proved to him that he'd been right. Aside from the fact that Lucy had gotten kidnapped, she was beyond fucked up. He loved that she was so willing to fight, that she was able to handle herself in a pinch, but there had been too many enemies. He hadn't thought to train her on what to do when she was surrounded by so many opponents _._  Sure, there were three guys going after her in the mountains, and she'd taken them down with only a few scrapes to show for it, but fighting against mages that work together is another story. That kind of knowledge came from experience, and the only way for him to teach that to her would be taking her on another mission.  _'Maybe I can use this to convince Master to let me do it…'_ He quickly picked Lucy up, looping one arm under her legs while the other tenderly wrapped around her shoulders, then rushed out of the warehouse and into the street.

"Where are we going, Black Steel?" Lucy asked as she laid her head on his shoulder. Each thundering step he took jolted her whole body uncomfortably, but she fully understood his desire to get her away from the place they'd been holding her hostage. She could withstand the pain until they got somewhere safe, and then hopefully handle the injuries she'd sustained.

"Headquarters," Gajeel answered, his eyes darting this way and that to make sure there weren't any other Fairies for him to avoid. He was all for fighting them, beating each and every one into the ground for taking her away from him until they were a bloody pulp, but he had to take care of Lucy first. A warm breeze rushed past them, pulling more of her scent into his nostrils and sending a soothing rush of calm over him only for it to disappear when he picked up another scent on her. Burning wood and apples.  _'Fucking Salamander…'_  He sneered at the thought of Lucy's scent being mixed with that flaming idiot's in any capacity, and wholly agreed with his inner dragon when it whispered that the situation needed to be handled. No way in hell was his little Bunny going to smell like anyone but himself. His own scent was far too faint on her, and he planned on remedying that right now.

Lucy frowned when Gajeel turned down a narrow alley and came to a sudden stop. She had no idea what he was doing, but when she looked up to ask just what the hell was going on, the look in his eyes made her pause. The breath stalled in her throat when she took in the feral glint of his teeth, how his panting breaths fanned over her and sent heat flooding through her. His pupils were so animalistic—so much more than the normal slits she's grown accustomed to—that a slight shiver ran through her. She suddenly felt like she was his prey, and all she could do was gulp.

Between one second and the next Gajeel had Lucy's back pinned to the wall of the alley with her legs wrapped around his hips. "God, you fucking reek of Salamander," he growled, grabbing her ass and pulling her forward while he rocked his hips into her. Her lips parted on a gasp as the scent of her arousal wafted up into the air, and that was all he needed. Gajeel roughly slanted his mouth over hers, growling in approval when her hands tangled in his hair to pull him closer.

In a flurry of lips, tongue, teeth, and limbs Lucy found some semblance of leverage and ground herself against him. She could feel the heat radiating from him, nearly stifling in its intensity, and moaned loudly only for it to be swallowed by him as he devoured her. She vaguely registered that he'd shifted so he could reach between them, hardly heard the shuffle of fabric while he dropped his pants and boxers to his knees. It was when his fingers quickly pushed her panties to the side that she jolted, only to scream as he buried himself to the hilt in a quick and powerful thrust. There was no foreplay this time around, none of the prepping and teasing that made her utterly ravenous, and definitely no time to allow her body to adjust to the sudden intrusion as he pulled back and snapped his hips into her.

"You're  _mine_ , Bunny," Gajeel growled through his bared teeth, feeling her sex rippling around him each time he was fully nestled in her sex. He kept one hand on her hip while the other yanked her shirt and bra down to bare one perfectly rounded globe for him, then latched onto her pebbled nipple with his teeth as he pistoned into her faster. Her screams and cries of pleasure drove him to new heights, and Gajeel let his instincts take over for the time being. He wanted Lucy fully sated, and he  _needed_  any male that came near her to know without a doubt that she was taken. Lucy was  _his_ , not anyone else's. His teeth dragged over her chest and up to her ear, and he groaned, " _My_  Bunny."

"All yours," Lucy moaned in response. "Harder, Gajeel. I want it all!" Her eyes widened and rolled back when he let out a wild snarl, his hands gripping her hips so tightly she thought they would shatter, and used every ounce of his strength to slam into her weeping sex. "Yes! God, yes!" The piercings in his cock nearly vibrated with how quickly he was moving, and all Lucy could do was hold on and try not the break under the pressure welling inside of her. He was surrounding her, his lips and teeth dragging over every inch of flesh he could reach while he pulled her down onto him. The only time she had felt like this was when they had bitten each other, and her hands unconsciously slid down to his shoulders and under his shirt to brush across the bite marks he still had.

Gajeel gasped and his pace faltered when Lucy's slender, calloused fingers brushed over the bite on his shoulder that was barely hidden by the feathered sleeve of his tunic. It felt as though molten iron was bursting through him, thrumming with so much raw power that it left him breathless. He couldn't get enough of it and growled as he sucked a portion of her skin into his mouth as he started back up, rocking his hips and pushing as deeply as he could.

"G-Gajeel! Oh fuck... I love you!" Lucy cried out in surprise when he brought a hand up to tangle in her hair, wrenching her head off to the side while his teeth sunk into her flesh. The pain from that bite was nearly unbearable even through the increasing pleasure as she continued her ascension towards that wonderful peak of bliss. Tears welled in her eyes when he moved down and bit into her shoulder, but her body was begging for more. He never slowed down, a nearly constant growl rumbling through his chest and growing more terrifying with each thrust.

" _Mine..._ " Gajeel felt her walls tightening around him, heard how erratic her breathing had become, and smelled just how potent her arousal was while she moaned his name as though it was the only word in her vocabulary. He absolutely loved that Lucy had started frantically writhing against him, her actions only feeding into that wild side of himself even more. He was addicted to everything she did, every gasp and moan and scream she let loose, and couldn't wait until her scent was permanently mixed with his once he gave her his mark. "Cum for your Dragon, little Bunny. I want you to squeeze my cock so fucking hard that I can't even stand." He nipped at her pulse as Lucy tensed around him, growling lower than normal when she was caught in the suspended state just before she shattered. His grip on her hair and hip tightened, and he bared his teeth when he felt himself about to spill over. "That's it... Right...  _Mmm_... Now."

Stars of ecstasy burst behind Lucy's lids as Gajeel speared into her one last time. A fearsome roar echoed through the alley as his shaft swelled and finally burst with his climax, and her own scream of his name only added onto the intensity of that sound as the stone wall roughly scraped along her back when he dropped to his knees.. She felt herself more and more willing to sink her teeth into him as Gajeel had done with her, but her head was held so tightly that she couldn't even move to try. Gajeel on the other hand? He dove down, and Lucy barely even registered his teeth scraping against her flesh before he jerked back.

Too close. Way too motherfucking close. It was one thing for Gajeel to bite her during sex, because that rush of adrenaline and hormones wasn't present to draw his magic out like it was during her climax. How he'd managed to pull away from it at all was beyond him, but he was damn glad that he did.  _'Fuck... Not until I tell her tonight,'_ he thought. Gajeel's grip on those silky golden tresses loosened as he pulsed inside of her, his hips jerking slightly in time with her spasming sex. He fought to catch his breath, groaning softly while Lucy mewled and peppered his neck with small kisses, her slight weight settled on his lap and those creamy bandaged legs of hers spread wide open "I... Love you... Too," he panted. He glanced down and winced when he saw the two fresh bite wounds on her. Lucy had bled a considerable amount already from what he could tell by her bandages, and he'd just added two more wounds to her already tender flesh. "Fuck... Are you okay, Bunny?"

Lucy nodded slowly, wondering why that odd high never came. Gajeel bit her, but the extra rush wasn't there. "Yeah, Black Steel. More than okay," she whispered happily. Her shoulder and neck were burning where he'd punctured her skin, but she couldn't bring herself to care in the slightest while he held her so closely. She had her Dragon back, and if it meant a little bit of pain from him losing control, then by god she'd take it in droves.

Gajeel let out a small whine of concern when he heard the pain in her hoarse voice, and lowered his lips to her neck to carefully clean up what he'd done. Letting his instincts take over in this instance may not have been the wisest choice, and even though he could tell Lucy wasn't angry with the way she was clinging to him, he still felt like an ass. If they were already mated, it wouldn't be painful for him to bite her any time he damn well pleased, but he hadn't marked her yet. Which meant that what he did in the heat of the moment had hurt like a son of a bitch. When Lucy moaned and pressed his lips to the wound he was lapping at, Gajeel breathed a small sigh of relief. He may have hurt her, but the spitfire of a woman that stole his heart was just giving him one more reason to know that she was a great match for him.

"Mmm," Lucy hummed softly. "Your mouth feels so fucking good, Gajeel." She giggled when she felt him pause before he nuzzled her neck and moved down to the second bite, and sighed while running her fingers through his hair. "Thank you."

Gajeel slowly withdrew himself and righted Lucy's panties and top before helping her stand up so he could adjust his own clothes. She was still unsteady on her feet, and a shade too pale for his liking, so he moved as quickly as possible before pulling her into his chest and kissing her hair. "No need to thank me. I'll always take care of my Bunny," he whispered.

"And I'll always take care of my Dragon," Lucy giggled. "Now, we should get going before someone finds us out here."

"I don't give a fuck who sees us anymore, Bunny." Gajeel carefully picked Lucy back up, sighing in contentment when she snuggled closer and started twirling the ends of his hair between her fingers. "If anyone has a problem with it, I'll fucking kill them myself. I'm done pretending I don't give a shit about you."

Lucy froze and gaped at Gajeel as he started climbing up the fire escape of the nearest building. "Y-You... You are?" she whispered incredulously. Gajeel's scowl stayed in place, but she could see just how sincere he was by the look in his eyes when he nodded. If he was tired of pretending they weren't important to each other, then Lucy wondered where that left them. Would they have to finally define the odd arrangement they had? This crazy 'It's-purely-physical-but-I-love-you-and-never-want-to-be-without-you-and-we-aren't-dating-because-we-haven't-gone-on-a-date'  _thing_  that she had with Gajeel was amazing, and perfect, and everything she had ever wanted when it came to being with a man. While she was curious to see how things would go, she wasn't going to bring up a possible change like that in the middle of all of this Fairy Tail drama. Later that night, she'd be asking him all about it. But, for now...

Gajeel smirked when Lucy grinned up at him and kissed his chest as he jumped from one rooftop to the next. He had been worried that she might have reacted poorly to what he'd said, but he wanted to test the waters before he told her about the bites. He couldn't very well be mated to a woman that didn't want people knowing they were together. The fact that she was otherwise silent on the matter made him remember that promise they had made. She was all his until one of them said they wanted more. It wasn't clear if that meant they'd stop everything, or figure out what they both wanted... But he really hoped telling the radiant blonde that he wanted to make her his mate wouldn't completely scare her off. He just needed a chance to explain it, then tell her just how important she is to him, and it could all work out for the best. "Just relax for now, Bunny. We'll be there soon, and once all these Fairies are fucking dead… It's just you, me, and the brat tonight."

* * *

He kept running through his conversation with Aquarius while making his way to the warehouse that Reedus and Lucy were at. After Mira was saved by Elfman, Loke had gotten a bad feeling about Lucy being so far away from the guild. He couldn't tell if it was that something was going to happen to her, or if it was just something bad in general, so he decided to trust his ancient instincts and go check it out.

Aquarius had told him to protect Lucy, and he'd been more focused on getting to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the girl. Even when Lucy had attacked him, she had been more focused on her keys and getting away from them than she was on trying to kill him. It seemed like she was a walking contradiction. Throwing out insults and threats one minute, then begging for her freedom. Fighting to get away, followed by a gentle smile that had set his heart at ease just before she passed out. He couldn't understand how a girl—no, a woman—like Lucy could possibly exist. He hadn't seen a Celestial mage in over a century that actually cared about the well-being of their spirits, or viewed them as more than tools for battle or their own personal gain.

_"Sh-She always s-said she'd f-find Scorpio for me… S-So I could see him m-more often…"_

Aquarius was constantly yelling at her keyholders for taking her away from dates with Scorpio, and the only time he could remember her  _not_  doing that was little more than a decade prior when he and Scorpio had the same master. Loke had been told about Aquarius' owner, how sweet and kind she was, and that she made sure not to call Aquarius out too often because it just didn't seem right to pull a woman away from the man she loved. He couldn't for the life of him recall what that woman's name had been, but she had been a real treasure.

" _Virgo's happy w-with Lucy, and they always spend t-time together just because L-Lucy loves her company!"_

Loke had been able to see the proof of Aquarius' words for himself when Virgo had opened her own gate. She was one of the most loyal of the Zodiac spirits, sometimes even rivalling himself when he'd still been Leo, but the truth of just how deep her feelings for Lucy ran were in her eyes. Even when that stoic mask had crumbled as Lucy stood up to fight against himself and Gray—telling Virgo to care for Ryos instead of fighting in Lucy's place—and everyone could see just how distraught Virgo was over the concept… There had been admiration and love in her eyes. The two of them shared a deeper bond that the lingering celestial energy within himself longed to feel. It was that of not a master and their spirit, but of two deeply devoted friends.

_"We l-love her so much! A-And, she's happy here! Sh-She's in love! D-Don't take her happiness away! Lucy deserves it after everything she's been through."_

It was something that Lucy never brought up when she was being questioned by Mira or himself. Not once did she mention the boy she had tried to protect or this mystery person she was in love with. Loke knew for a fact that Aquarius wouldn't lie to him—she had no reason to. If Aquarius said that Lucy was in love with someone, that she was happy at Phantom Lord, then it really was the case. He never wanted to deprive anyone of their happiness, especially not love. Three years had gone by since he'd been able to see the once exuberant Ram spirit he'd fallen in love with so long ago. He knew that pain of being torn from the one you love, and he wouldn't wish that on Zeref himself. So, why hadn't Lucy mentioned love as a reason to stay? What possible harm could it have done to tell Fairy Tail—a guild that bases its actions on compassion and love for one another—that there was someone who had captured her heart?

_"Lucy's got a temper, and knows how to handle herself. She's got a pure heart, Leo. No matter what she does, it's always with the best intentions in mind."_

That statement was what had really given him pause; what had stuck out the most of everything Aquarius had told him. Celestial Spirits rarely used that term, because it wasn't very often—if ever—that one would come across a person like that.  _'A pure heart,'_  he thought wistfully. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined meeting someone with a pure heart, especially not someone that seemed to take quite a bit of enjoyment from threatening male genitalia with disfigurement. Does that mean that her actions are justified? Was that the message Aquarius had been trying to get across to him? Even if he hadn't believed her about Lucy's father wanting to take her keys, or believed Lucy when she said that he was essentially trying to whore out his own daughter. Those two little words held all the weight of the world for him.

" _She'll take the burden for us if she can, and sometimes even when it's too much for her to bear alone."_

Loke had seen that for himself with Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Horologium, and Aquarius. When he considered just how many spirits Lucy had called out that day, Loke's steps faltered. Three Zodiacs and a silver were called. One Zodiac was strong enough to open her own gate, and even Aquarius had held hers open for far longer than he would have imagined she could have learned in such a short amount of time. Granted, Lucy had called the spirits out individually, but the amount of magic Taurus had been using up to make his attacks as powerful as they were had been impressive in and of itself.  _'Taking the burden…'_  He frowned as he forced his feet to keep moving even when his legs protested the exhausting run. The biggest burden for a spirit was taking a human life when they were ordered to. They held that guilt with them forever, and none of their masters ever seemed to care. Did that mean Lucy did that herself? Is that the burden she took, knowing just what it would do to her spirits? Phantom Lord was known for thinking of human lives as inconsequential—at least, it was known among the other legal guilds. Honestly, Phantom bordered on being a dark guild so much that it was a wonder the Magic Council hadn't put an end to them already.  _'How can she have a pure heart and take a human's life?'_  he thought incredulously.

Loke rounded the final corner and skidded to a screeching halt when he saw the state of the guild's hideout. The front doors, made of some of the strongest metal in Fiore, had been blown clear off of their hinges. The inside was wrecked, with one entire wall completely decimated. A cold sweat trickled down his spine when he looked at just how much damage the place had taken. Lucy was nowhere to be seen, but he found Reedus easily enough. With speed fueled purely by adrenaline, Loke rushed over and helped the Picto Magic user out from under the large beam that had fallen on top of him. "Reedus, what happened? Where is she?" he asked hurriedly, looking over the rotund man quickly to make sure he wasn't severely injured.

"Iron... Slayer... took her..." Reedus groaned and fought for only another moment before darkness took over his vision.

Loke's teeth ground together, a low growl that was much like the ones he'd let loose when he was still Leo the Lion rumbling through him. Black Steel Gajeel was a sadistic asshole, one of the worst he'd ever seen in his long life. His promise to Aquarius to keep Lucy safe meant that he had to make sure she was alright. The mermaid spirit wouldn't have told him that Lucy only trusted two people if it wasn't important, since she had been fading out of Earthland when she'd said it. That could only mean that the only ones to be trusted with Lucy's safety were that young boy and whoever the person was that she loved. He highly doubted someone like Gajeel Redfox would be that person, no matter how crazy he thought Lucy was sometimes. "I've gotta find her," he whispered to himself as he stood up. "She could—"

His words were cut off as a ferocious roar echoed through the streets, sounding for everything it was worth exactly like a dragon. He was frozen in place, wondering just how in the hell a dragon could have possibly been anywhere near the area since they had disappeared seven years prior. The thought finally occurred to him that it wasn't necessarily a dragon, but a Slayer. There had been countless times in the last couple years that Fairy Tail had witnessed just how closely Natsu resembled a dragon in his own habits, so it stood to reason that Gajeel might as well. If that was the case… And if Gajeel had Lucy with him… Loke's eyes went wide as he imagined what could have possibly happened to make Gajeel sound that way, and everything his mind conjured up spelled nothing but trouble for the odd blonde woman whose keys were still nestled in his pocket.

He rose shakily to his feet, still feeling a slight tremor in his very bones at the intensity of such a sound coming from a human. It was when he slowly turned around, wondering just how he was going to manage finding Lucy in the city, that he saw a droplet of blood on the floor. Then another. Loke's eyes followed the morbid, uneven trail out the door and in the opposite direction from where he'd come. It had to be Lucy's blood. That was the only explanation for it, especially with how much blood had already soaked through her bandages from all of that moving around she'd been doing to try and break free the last time he saw her. With newfound determination, Loke followed the trail of blood.

He made it several blocks before it turned sharply down a thin, darkened alley. What he saw in that alley only made his blood run cold. Lucy's blood was smeared all across one wall, pooling just against it as it dragged down to the ground. "What the hell happened to her?" he whispered in horror. Had Gajeel really just killed her in the alley? Was that a roar of victory for killing the blonde? If that was the case, then where was her body?

He looked around, checking a small dumpster and behind a pile of putrid trash-filled bags, then walked back over to the bloody scene. With a heavy sigh, Loke tipped his head back and closed his eyes. He just needed to think this through, and he'd be able to figure out what happened. If Lucy was still alive, he needed to move quickly. With the amount of blood that had soaked into the seat on the train, how much was on her bandages earlier, and the fact that she was easily dripping blood down the street and all over a wall in that alley… It seemed they should have actually stitched her wounds closed instead of simply throwing some gauze over them. Even with how old he truly was, with everything Loke had seen in his long, previously mostly-immortal life, the one thing he'd never taken the time to learn was just when someone would need stitches. That was Virgo's forte, and always had been.

He let out another sigh and then flinched when something moist dripped onto his forehead. He frowned and opened his eyes, flinching when another droplet landed hardly a centimeter from the first. Loke brought his hand to his forehead and wiped at the moisture, then looked at his fingers and horror when he saw they were smeared with blood. His eyes honed in on the source of the drops, and he suddenly felt as though a boon had been tossed in his lap. The fire escape. That could only mean that Gajeel had taken Lucy up onto the rooftops, most likely to avoid any unwanted attention from passersby on the street by dragging a bloodied woman around.

Loke hopped up and took the slick steps of the fire escape three at a time, a wide and hopeful grin spreading across his face once he reached the roof of the building. Only a few buildings away, he finally caught a glimpse of Gajeel and Lucy. She was being held in the crazed Slayer's arms as though she was a princess, but Loke refused to dwell on it. Instead, he chose to chase after the pair of Phantom mages, determined to help Lucy in any way he could.

"Gajeel, we have to go back! Loke has my keys!"

"Worry about that shit later!"

"I won't worry about it later, you fucking cockmunch! I'm not leaving them behind!"

"Goddamnit woman, quit yer fucking screeching!"

"NO! Put me down! I'll get them myself!"

"How do you plan on pullin' that shit off? You can hardly fucking  _stand_!"

"THAT'S NOT THE GODDAMN POINT, ASSHOLE!"

Loke blinked slowly, his mouth hanging open as he watched Gajeel stop in his trek across the rooftops to start arguing with Lucy. His jaw dropped even further when she reached back and punched Gajeel in the side of the head while threatening to castrate him… far too vividly.  _'What the hell is_ _ **wrong**_ _with those two?'_

"Fine, I'll go grab them from his goddamn corpse after I slaughter his ass! Does that work?!"

"NO! Because you're still going to take me to see Master before getting my fucking keys back!"

"Orders are orders!"

"Don't give me that bullshit! Just take me to get my fucking keys, or I'm turning those piercings of yours into fucking anal beads and raping you with them!"

"WILL YOU SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH ALREADY?!"

"So help me, Gajeel… I'm gonna—"

Gajeel snarled and turned back the way they had just come. "Shut it, Bunny," he whispered. "We've got company…"

 


	17. Arc 1: Surprise and Praise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides with Episode 26 [Wings of Flame].

 

Loke quickly jumped onto the same roof that was holding the pair of Phantom mages just as Gajeel turned around. He made sure to stay several yards away from them, but he was still close enough to see just how messed up Lucy really was. Which only served to make his stomach churn when he realized that a good portion of her wounds had really needed to be stitched up instead of just covered in gauze. Enemy or not, she didn't deserve to suffer because none of the Fairy Tail mages that had been present (or cared) knew enough about first aid to realize how severe her wounds really were.

"Loke," Lucy whispered in surprise. Clearly, someone out there really fucking liked her right now. How amazing was this guy's timing?! Just when she'd been arguing with Gajeel about going back for her keys, here was the one that had them in the first place!

Gajeel growled low in his throat when he saw that stupid ginger Fairy that he'd barely glimpsed during the fight at Phantom, and his anger only increased when he heard the guy's name passing Lucy's lips. "He's the one, Bunny?" he whispered, snarling when Lucy nodded weakly. He didn't have time to fuck around with this guy. He needed to get Lucy back to headquarters, so she could get cleaned up and get some rest. Lots and lots of goddamn rest.

"What do you think you're doing with Lucy?" Loke asked firmly.

"Takin' her ass back with me, fucknugget," Gajeel growled. "Stay outta this."

"Black Steel," Lucy whimpered as the pain in her body started increasing, "Get my keys." Seriously, how much more pain was she going to have to deal with before she just went into shock?

Gajeel glanced down at her ashen face, a whimper of his own threatening to spill from him at just how haggard she looked. He fought against the urge to tighten his grip on her, his fingers twitching slightly and reminding him yet again just how injured she'd gotten when he felt them easily sliding over her blood-slicked skin. Instead he leaned down and kept his eyes locked onto Loke while whispering to her. "No worries, little Bunny. Your dragon's gonna get 'em back for ya. Stay awake, okay?"

Loke narrowed his eyes when he saw Gajeel lean his head down and whisper something to her. He didn't need to give the guy time to strategize, or to threaten Lucy if she wasn't willingly going with him. No, Loke needed to act, and fast. "If you don't let her go right now, you'll be sorry. That is… If you live to see tomorrow!" Loke's rings began to glow and he lunged forward, hoping that Lucy being held in the Iron Slayer's arms would slow him down just enough to land a hit.

Gajeel ground his teeth together and dodged the attacks that Loke was sending his way, ducking and weaving while he tried to find an opening that he could actually take advantage of with Lucy in his arms. Any other time, he would have dropped her ass in a heartbeat to pound this little fucker into the ground, but his inner dragon was urging him to hold her closely and ensure that she was as safe as possible. If he put her down, then something could happen… She could get taken away from him again.

Lucy squawked when Gajeel's grip on her loosened to the point that she had started to fall. Not just fall though. Of  _course_  she couldn't just fall a couple vertical feet to the rooftop they were on. Nope. The universe fucking hated her, and decided to rub that in when he dodged to the right and she just kept on freaking  _going_. She quickly scrambled back into his arms when he pulled her back to his chest, her heart thudding loudly against her ribs. "Dick," she whispered.

"Just hand Lucy over, and this whole thing ends," Loke said calmly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Gajeel really did tighten his grip on her that time, and instantly regretted it when Lucy hissed in pain. He was positively torn on whether he should put her down in a semi-safe place so he could fight Loke and be done with this shit, or hold onto her and hope he could find a way to kick Loke's ass while assuring she was safe. Needless to say, he chose the first option. Her safety was paramount, and Lucy was much more likely to get hurt if he was holding her and fighting. "Gotta put you down, Bunny. Lemme just kill him real quick, and we'll get you patched up."

Lucy nodded slowly, and narrowed her eyes at Loke with the best glare she could muster in that moment. She knew it wasn't much, but Gajeel more than made up for the lack of her intensity once she was safely sitting on the rooftop by standing to his full height and moving to stand in front of her. She was still shaky, and had started trembling just from trying to hold herself upright, but there was no way that she was going to let another Fairy see her in this weakened state. Phantom's reputation was on the line, as far as she was concerned, and she had to make sure she kept true to that image.

Loke watched Lucy swallow thickly, then looked up at the nearly feral expression on Gajeel's face. "She doesn't look too good. Just let me take her, and I'll get her fixed up…"

"You're not fuckin' touching her." When Loke scowled, Gajeel let out a fearsome roar and sent one arm out as it shifted into an iron pillar. When Loke jumped into the air to dodge, he sent his arm flying up to try and knock him off balance, and winced when the rings on Loke's right hand began glowing a brilliant golden color.

Loke gritted his teeth and put all of his strength into the punch as he descended toward Gajeel. A swift left hook was followed by a right jab, and he nearly growled when both attacks were easily blocked. He ducked and rolled off to one side when a gloved fist came flying towards his head, and jumped to his feet with another punch of his own at the ready.

 _'What's up with this guy? Somethin' about him seems different…'_  Gajeel thought as he dodged attack after attack. _'He's not some ordinary holder mage either.'_ It seemed that he and Loke were currently at a stalemate where their hand-to-hand skills were concerned, so Gajeel decided it was high time he stopped dicking around and trying to make the ginger asshole suffer. He had a potential mate to care for, and it should have happened hours ago. "So, just who the fuck are you anyway? And why dontcha smell right?"

"I don't know what you mean," Loke chuckled. "I never got any complaints from the ladies."

Lucy's head was swimming, the blood loss she'd experienced already catching up to her. Her vision blurred for a moment, and she blinked repeatedly to keep an eye on the fight. Both men sent out attack after attack, with Loke's rings glowing almost constantly and Gajeel's iron flying in every direction while he stood protectively between her and the Fairy. The faint glint of her keys caught her eye for only a moment as Loke's green jacket shifted, before she finally collapsed back onto the roof, a barely audible groan slipping past her lips when her head bounced on the orange-red shingles.

Loke froze just as he was about to go to attack Gajeel again, and doubled over in pain when a strong burst of his life force was sucked right out of him.  _'Not… now…'_  He could almost feel himself wavering in and out of existence, and would have wondered just what in all of Earthland could have stopped Gajeel from noticing it until he saw Lucy was lying on the roof. Instead of continuing the fight, Loke was thoroughly surprised when Gajeel whirled around and dropped to one knee.

"Shit, Bunny," Gajeel whispered worriedly as he looked over her bloody bandages again. She didn't look any more injured than she'd been when he sat her down, but it was the uneven pace of her heart, how slowly it was beating, and each ragged breath that she pulled in that had him forgetting all about his fight with Loke. She needed him more than ever, and he was seeing just how close he was to losing her. "Shit, shit, shit… We've gotta get you to the infirmary…"

"M-My keys," Lucy whimpered. "Please, Gajeel… I-I need them…"

Gajeel growled and roughly swiped a hand over his face. He didn't give two flying fucks about her keys at that point. What he cared about was the fact that the woman he loved was in need of some serious medical attention, and he was stuck trying to appease her and his inner dragon that was going on a goddamn rampage in his head. It just kept screaming that he could get them for her later, but Gajeel knew just how much they meant to her. They weren't just a memento of her mother, but her magic. Without them, Lucy didn't have a way to use her magic.  _'Fucking holder bullshit!'_  he thought angrily. He slowly pulled her into his arms and stood up again, then turned to face Loke with a vicious sneer.

Loke's eyes widened as he watched Gajeel's skin slowly morphing into metallic scales, and he took a small step back while tightly clutching Lucy's keys in his pocket. A low and terrifying growl echoed through the air, and Loke suddenly felt nothing like the proud lion he'd been for centuries.

Gajeel was going to get to her keys one way or another, and he snarled wildly as he tensed to lunge at Loke. He was done with all of this. If she needed those little bits of metal before they could head back to the guild and  _finally_  clean her up, then he was damn well going to get them. He would have loved nothing more than to tear Loke limb from limb, but there just wasn't enough time.

Loke internally grimaced as he took several steps back until he was standing by the edge of the roof that overlooked the canal running through Magnolia. He didn't want it to come to this, but there was just no other way to stop all of this pointless fighting.  _'I'm sorry…'_

Lucy's heart stopped when Loke withdrew her keys from his pocket and dangled them over the edge of the roof. She ignored the pain that was trying to knock her out completely, and instead chose to try and claw her way out of Gajeel's grasp. "No! Please! Don't drop them!" she shouted brokenly, feeling her heart breaking as the sunlight glinted off of their little silver and gold grooves.

"Bunny, calm the fuck down!" Gajeel snarled, struggling to keep her contained in his grip while not cutting into her with his claws. He knew she was psychotic, but she needed to chill the hell out.

"Please! Don't… D-Don't!"

Loke narrowed his eyes when Lucy stopped struggling to stay in Gajeel's arms, and watched in confusion when she curled into his chest and openly sobbed. He took a long look at Gajeel – who seemed to be frozen in place while he tried to figure out just how he was going to get to Loke without causing her more pain – and that was when he noticed the way she was being cradled in the Iron Slayer's arms. It wasn't just that Gajeel was holding her; there was a certain tenderness to it that had nothing to do with Lucy being injured. The sound of metal shifting drew his attention to Gajeel's clawed thumb, and he nearly jolted when he saw slow and comforting circles being drawn on her leg. "Answer my questions," he said slowly, finally returning his gaze to Gajeel's slitted ruby eyes, "And Lucy gets her keys back."

Gajeel would have refused in a heartbeat, and that exact response was sitting just on the tip of his tongue. He took a deep, rumbling breath, and that was when he smelled and  _tasted_  Lucy's tears in the air. Her trembling had increased, and he could no longer tell if it was from what seemed like gallons of blood that she'd lost, or it if was from the forceful and heartrending sobs that left her. He took another deep breath, then decided to just go with the flow.

When Gajeel nodded shortly, Loke said, "Does she trust you?"

"What kinda dumb ass fucking question is that?!"

"Answer me," Loke warned, pushing his arm further out over the edge. "Answer me, or these go in the river."

Gajeel sighed and looked down at the top of Lucy's golden hair, seeing small specks of blood dotting the blonde strands. "Yeah," he finally answered, looking back up at Loke. "Bunny Girl trusts me."

"If you take her, what's going to happen to her?" Loke asked firmly.

"I'm gonna stitch her shit up, since  _you_  fuckers are so insanely inept that you can't even figure out what the right goddamn dressing is for inch-deep wounds from that whip of hers."

Loke blinked slowly. That hadn't been an answer he was expecting. If his notion was correct, and if Gajeel was the one that Aquarius had been trying to name when she disappeared, then the concept of Lucy being helped by the Slayer wasn't too shocking. It was more of the fact that he knew her wounds were inflicted from her whip. Had Lucy really told him about it so quickly after she was pulled from Fairy Tail's safehouse? Finally, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "What's that little boy's name? The one with the broken ribs?"

Gajeel growled. "Quit wasting my goddamn time! What the fuck does the brat have to do with fucking  _anything_?!" Seriously, where the hell was this guy coming up with these questions? Gajeel had no clue what he was thinking when he decided to hear Loke out, aside from his need to keep Lucy safe. Her tears had slowed considerably, but she was still quivering in his arms and sniffling from time to time. He just wanted to get her back to headquarters, was that so much to ask…

"If she trusts you, then you'll know his name."

"Ryos," Gajeel said impatiently. "His name is fucking Ryos. Why—"

Loke looked at Lucy sadly, seeing how small and fragile she seemed while being held so gently by the otherwise insane Dragon Slayer. He thought back to the fight in Phantom, where Lucy had appeared in the same place that Gajeel had descended from when the fighting began. When she had gone after Natsu, he'd noticed that Gajeel had looked ready to kill the salmon-haired mage for even touching her – not her for interfering in his fight. And afterwards, when she moved back into the crowd and started attacking Gray, Loke had caught the barest glimpse of a blush on her cheeks as she had left Gajeel's side. He sighed heavily and pulled the gate keys back from over the canal, and took a slow step forward. . "I can't believe I'm doing this, but…" he muttered, pausing and looking at Lucy again when she turned her surprised and tear-stained face toward him, "This should never have happened in the first place. Aquarius told me what would happen if you went back... And, I can't allow that. So, here..."

Lucy and Gajeel tensed when Loke closed the distance between them and slowly lifted one of Lucy's hands. She instantly relaxed once his calloused fingers brushed over her, that same familiar feeling washing through her while their eyes stayed locked onto each other. All she could think was,  _'Wait… He had a **conversation**  with Aquarius?!'_ Still, once the familiar ring was settled in her palm Lucy let out a shaky breath that bordered on a sob, a grateful smile pulling at her lips.

Loke looked up at Gajeel's barely noticeable confusion as he took a step back, and smirked. "Lucy's only got two people she trusts. If you weren't one of them, I was gonna get her away from you," he said softly. "She's safe with you, so I've done what I can. This isn't my fight, and I can't be a part of this with what I know…" Loke slowly turned to walk away from the pair of Phantom mages, then paused at the edge of the rooftop. "Good luck, you two," he called back. "I'm not fighting anymore…"

Gajeel slowly picked his jaw up and looked down at Lucy when she started crying again after Loke jumped down from the roof.  _'A few tears are perfectly fine when you've had a shitty day,'_  he thought sadly. He pulled her closer, nestling his nose in her hair while a small comforting purr began vibrating through him. "I've got you, little Bunny," he whispered tenderly as he turned around. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you… We'll be home soon…"

Loke smiled as he stood on the fire escape, listening to Gajeel run off in the direction of the Phantom building by Fairy Tail. He turned his gaze up toward the sky, wishing it was nighttime so he could see all of his old friends' constellations, and pictured Aquarius in his mind. "Guess you were right, Aquarius," he whispered, wincing when another flash of white hot pain burst through him and his body wavered slightly, "She's in love…" Now he saw exactly why Lucy had been fighting so hard to stay in Phantom. She loved that little boy that had tried to help her, and she was in love with a man that would clearly do anything for her. She had put her life on the line more than once just to get back to them, and Loke only hoped that they would be able to get away from this fight with Fairy Tail. "She deserves to be happy…"

* * *

Ryos was anxious, to say the least. Gajeel had been gone for a really long time by then, and he had been listening for any sign of the older Slayer returning with Lucy in tow for what felt like hours. He just couldn't understand why Fairy Tail would fight so hard to keep Lucy away from her real home. She didn't belong with her father. She belonged with him and Gajeel in Phantom.

Why hadn't they believed her when she told them? Lucy didn't want to go, she just wanted to be left alone by those Fairies. Those two had seen for themselves just how badly she wanted to stay, but they took her anyway. They didn't care about what Lucy wanted at all. They didn't care about what he wanted either.

Based on the announcements that Master Jose had been making, there was less than fifteen minutes before he fired another shot from the Jupiter Cannon. Ryos didn't exactly know what that was, but he could only assume that the intense magical pressure he'd felt and  _heard_  earlier was the first blast of it. He had been furious when he heard that some Fairy had tried impersonating Lucy, but there wasn't a thing he could do to get back at them for everything that was happening. He was just too injured, too  _weak_  to help.

 _"Do not doubt yourself,"_  his inner dragon whispered.  _"You have done what you can."_

Ryos sat himself down and melded into the shadows just in case someone that wasn't Gajeel came into the infirmary. All he'd been able to do since Gajeel left was think about everything. He'd just found some sense of a family, and it was being torn away from him. The day before had been so great, with just him and Lucy – even though they had both wanted Gajeel there as well – spending time together.

They had talked and laughed, taken a nap, made lunch together, and then Lucy watched over him while he ate some shadows. She had even put on some of that old music she had been listening to in the bath the night he moved in with her, and taught him how to dance. He wasn't the best at it, and his ribs had protested the movement with a ferocity that had been hard to mask, but she had seemed so happy when she was able to dance with him… Even when he'd stepped on her toes at least a dozen times. Reading together, telling stories, going to the store, baking that cake, and cooking dinner together. Falling asleep in her arms.

He didn't want to lose any of that. Ryos wanted to stay with Lucy, and heal enough so that he could start training with Gajeel. He wanted her to teach him about her magic, especially now that he'd gotten to see what her spirits could do in battle. Lucy had told him a little about their fighting capabilities, but she'd focused mostly on what the different spirits were like in everyday situations. She had even summoned Plue to sit with him while she'd gone to take a bath. Needless to say, it had come as a huge surprise to all three of them when Ryos had been able to understand Plue with ease. He liked her spirits, and could tell how much they loved her. Ryos wanted to get to know them too, but that wouldn't happen if...

Ryos shook his head and checked over everything that he and Gajeel had brought with them from the guild's infirmary. Lucy was hurt pretty badly when her spirit took him away, and he had no idea if she had gotten more injuries after he lost sight of her.  _'She has to be okay,'_  he thought,  _'Please, be okay, big sister...'_

Once he saw that there wasn't anything else for him to do but wait, he sighed and sat down in the shadows again. The constant cold from them seeped into him, but it wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest. It reminded him of Skiadrum. The only parent the young boy had ever known, and he had to help the dragon die because he was sick. Ryos hadn't cared about the extra power he would gain from bathing in a dragon's blood, because Skiadrum was his  _dad_. He never wanted to see his father in pain, let alone watch the life leaving his eyes as his shadows dissipated into the air. Now, he had a sister in Lucy – and by proxy, a brother in Gajeel – but he was on the verge of being alone again.

His thoughts were swirling around so quickly, he felt sick to his stomach. He just wanted Gajeel to come back already, and he wanted to see that Lucy was okay. She  _had_  to be okay.

 _"If she isn't,"_  his inner dragon growled menacingly,  _"No one will survive. Whoever he doesn't kill… We will."_

Ryos grimaced at the thought. He had killed enough in his short life as far as he was concerned.  _"I don't want to kill anyone… I just want Lucy…"_

_"That may be the case right now, but if she is dead…"_

Ryos growled, a vicious snarl baring his pointed canines. Lucy couldn't be dead. He believed in her too much for that to have happened, and he believed in Gajeel. No way would either of them give up fighting.  _"Lucy's not dead. She's not…"_

 _"In the event she is,"_  his inner dragon sighed, laying itself down while its tail twitched in silent fury,  _"Do not hesitate to kill the ones that took her away. They will deserve it for stealing her from you. Dragons protect what's theirs, Ryos. And when we are unable to protect them…"_  The dragon paused, his eyes burning with an intensity that Ryos had never witnessed in his own father's eyes. As he continued, the pitch of his gravelly voice dropped into such a deep growl, that the young Slayer felt almost as if his very bones were vibrating. _"We **avenge**  them with a fury the likes of which no one has ever seen. We draw them into the darkness, and never let them escape.  **No one**  steals from a dragon, especially not the life of our family."_

Thundering footsteps in the hall pulled him from the conversation within, and Ryos' eyes widened hopefully when he heard Gajeel's muffled voice as he came closer and closer to the infirmary.

_"Almost there, Bunny. We'll get you cleaned up, okay?"_

Ryos jumped to his feet as the door flew open, but the happiness he felt at Lucy being returned safely died in an instant when he took in the sight of Gajeel carrying her across the room. She had been bandaged up at some point, but they were all soaked with blood. Her skin was pale, far too pale in his opinion, and he could see her trembling in Gajeel's arms. Small droplets of the crimson liquid landed on the floor, smearing slightly when Gajeel inadvertently stepped on them. If the sight of Lucy in such a weakened state wasn't bad enough, then the sheer amount of blood soaked into Gajeel's shirt and pants and covering his arms was more than enough to make his stomach churn.

Gajeel had made quick work of getting through the last leg of their journey through Magnolia, the need to get Lucy back to headquarters driving him to push his body to its limit. He knew by the look on her face that the pace he'd chosen was painful for her, each quick jolt as his heavy boots connected with the ground most likely jarring her battered body uncomfortably. Still, he was single-minded in his desire to care for her. He ran on a straight path from the entrance to the building all the way to the infirmary, and rushed her over to the nearest bed. "Where are ya? I need your help," he called out into the room as he carefully laid her down on the bed.

Within moments, Ryos appeared at Lucy's side, his small hands reaching out for hers and holding them tenderly. "L-Lucy," he whimpered, his eyes instantly going over the blood-soaked bandages covering her body again. He knew she was hurt, but he hadn't realized it was this bad. It  _shouldn't_  have been this bad. He couldn't understand how the injuries she had sustained earlier resulted in so much blood. Her scent was always something that comforted him, but this metallic tang that had nothing to do with the Iron Slayer made him sick.

"Start taking her bandages off," Gajeel ordered. "I'll get everything ready to stitch her up." He turned to see the supplies they had brought from the guild were already laid out on a small table right next to the bed, and he was wholly thankful that the kid had thought to do that so he could get right to work on helping Lucy. He saw Ryos nod out of the corner of his eye, then focused all of his attention on threading the needle in his hand. After two failed attempts, he snarled in frustration and popped the stupid fucking thing in his mouth for a little snack while he made an identical needle  _around_  the goddamn thread.

Ryos' hands were shaking as he tried to remove the bandages, his breath becoming more and more shallow when he realized that even though she was with them… he could still lose her. "G-Gajeel, I need something to c-cut these off," he whimpered. Not a moment later, a pair of scissors was in his trembling hand.

"Take a deep breath, Ryos," Gajeel said calmly as he turned and started working on the bandages on her legs. "Just breathe deep, and remember we've gotta help her."

Ryos nodded quickly, then grimaced when the scent of her blood filled his sinuses. His stomach flipped, and bile rose in the back of his throat. The only metal that should be mixed with her scent was Gajeel's, not this sickening coppery mess.

"I know, I don't wanna smell her blood either," Gajeel whispered. His finger shifted into a thin blade, and he carefully pushed it under the bandages on her calf before slowly sliding it up the length of her leg. "Bunny needs us, Ryos. Time to help your sister, alright?"

Ryos firmed his resolve, his lips thinning in determination. He hadn't been able to protect her or keep her safe, and hadn't been able to stop her from getting hurt, but he could help fix her up now that she was back with him and Gajeel. He refused to lose her because he was wasting time trying to come to terms with his beautiful sister being left in this state. As he started cutting the bandages on her arm away, he sniffled and said, "Gajeel, did they hurt her? After they took her… Nothing  _happened_ … right?"

"No. They just bandaged her up on the train, apparently." Gajeel took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment to try and keep himself even remotely calm. He knew that Ryos was looking to him as a role model in this scenario, and that the kid needed to see him maintaining his composure. Gajeel needed to be the rock in this scenario, even though there was a huge part of him that was freaking right the fuck out. "She was wracked out for most of the ride though."

Ryos frowned. "If that's the case, then why is she bleeding so much?" It just didn't make any sense. He could hardly understand why the Fairies would bandage her up in the first place, but when he saw how deep some of her wounds were, he realized that they probably only did it to keep her from dying. Fairy Tail wouldn't be able to collect a reward on a dead girl.

"Fuckers didn't stitch her shit up, just threw some goddamn gauze on it," Gajeel growled. He glanced at Lucy's face to see her eyes had closed. She was still breathing, and the wrinkle in her brow let him know that she was still mostly conscious. "Little faster," he whispered. "We need to get this shit done so she can rest before talking to Master."

Ryos nodded quickly, his hands no longer shaking. He had to be strong for her. That was all there was to it. After another minute, he was pulling the bandages off of her while Gajeel grabbed what they would need next, then turned around and tossed the bloody gauze on the next bed.

"Alright, one at a time. You wipe it clean, I'll stitch it up." Gajeel handed Ryos several washcloths and a bottle of alcohol. "She might move when I start, so you need to be ready to hold her down."

Ryos took another deep breath, then coated one washcloth in the clear liquid, his nose wrinkling when the potent aroma wafted up into it. Gajeel pointed out which cut he was about to work on, and Ryos cleaned it as quickly as possible. First one arm, then the other. Then the leg closest to Gajeel. Small punctures were wrapping around her, some much larger than others and burrowing deep into her flesh and muscles. Then there were the welts on her from the leather of her whip, some even having split open to allow more of her blood to spill. She was scraped up from head to toe, and while Gajeel was sewing her back up, Ryos used a second cloth to start wiping away the blood that had coated her skin. He paused momentarily when he saw two fresh bite wounds on her shoulder, then buried his confusion as deeply as he possibly could while he got back to work.

Lucy groaned when she felt an uncomfortable pulling sensation on her stomach. Something cold and wet was swiped across her wound, making her hiss in pain, but then a small squeeze of her hand had her eyes fluttering open. She was instantly met with crimson eyes and black hair, but before she could begin to believe she was looking at Gajeel, a small and frightened voice filtered in.

"Lucy, it's okay," Ryos whispered shakily as he held her hand. He tried to give her an encouraging smile, but it faltered almost instantly. "Gajeel's cleaning you up right now."

"R-Ryos?" Lucy blinked repeatedly, her vision clearing a little more each time until she was finally able to see Ryos' worried face gazing down at her. A wide smile spread across her face as tears gathered in her eyes. "Ryos, oh thank fucking god..."

"Bunny, you gotta stay still," Gajeel said softly. He paused and wiped the blood from his hands on a moistened towel, then gently caressed her cheek while Ryos lightly dabbed at the blood on her leg. "I'm giving you stitches, and I don't wanna hurt you, okay? I'm almost done."

Lucy nodded, her smile never leaving her face as she gazed lovingly at Gajeel. "You brought him with you," she whispered, her happiness overwhelming in its intensity. Ryos was safe. The Fairies hadn't hurt him after she had Horologium take him inside. She had been so worried that he hadn't made it before she had tried to summon Aquarius, but seeing his face had tears welling in her eyes.

Gajeel chuckled. "Course I did, little Bunny. We wanted to see that smile, and he was worried fuckin' sick about ya." Gajeel turned back to her leg and continued with the last of the stitches. She had been conscious the entire time, but he was still trying to get everything done as quickly as possible so that she didn't have to keep feeling so much damn pain.

Ryos smiled down at Lucy when she turned to look at him again. "Surprise," he whispered.

"Best surprise ever, sweetie," Lucy sniffled. Even with the tears that started to spill over, she playfully narrowed her eyes at him and added, "Even if you  _did_ ignore what I said and came to the guild during the fight."

Ryos winced and turned his gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I-I was just worried, and... I couldn't stay at the apartment when everything just kept shaking. I..."

Lucy sighed and gently pulled on Ryos' hand until he looked at her again. "Come here..." She watched as he slowly shuffled closer to her head, and carefully lifted her freshly bandaged arm so she was cupping his cheek. "You helped me, Ryos," she whispered. "Those two were too much for me to handle on my own, and I should have gone back inside instead of trying to take them myself."

"But... You hurt yourself because of me..."

Lucy smiled. "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat, my little rogue."

Gajeel smirked and finished up the last of the bandages on her leg. He had been able to finish stitching and bandaging her up in a matter of minutes with Ryos' help, and the fact that Lucy was already starting to regain some color in her cheeks was definitely a good sign. "Damn right you would, ya fucking psycho," he chuckled, turning and putting the unused gauze and tape back on the table.

Lucy pouted up at Gajeel. "Don't be mean to me, Black Steel. It's just wrong to tease a mummy."

Ryos couldn't help the small laugh that bubbled up from his throat, and the sly smile and wink Lucy directed his way had his racing heart finally beginning to slow. He sighed and nuzzled her hand tenderly, feeling more and more at ease with how she was still able to joke around. He could see the pain in her eyes when she looked at him, but it was almost completely overshadowed by her happiness.

Lucy looked from one Slayer to the other, seeing just how relieved they both were. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't just as relieved to see them as well, and there was only one thing that could make her even happier than she already was. "Come cuddle with me, guys."

Gajeel chuckled and shook his head, then locked eyes with Ryos and nodded over towards the other bed that was still holding Lucy's previous set of bandages. He leaned down and carefully lifted Lucy into his arms while Ryos cleared the other bed off, then carried her over to it and sat down with her cradled between his legs and her head on his chest. "C'mon, Brat. Get your ass over here and give our Bunny some lovin'."

Ryos ducked his head and slowly climbed onto the bed. It was definitely a tighter fit than Lucy's bed, but they made it work. Ryos and Gajeel worked together to settle Lucy in the younger Slayer's lap with her legs draping over his, then he and Lucy rested their heads on Gajeel's chest while his arms wrapped around them. Ryos' eyes closed for a moment while he listened to the steady thumping of Gajeel's heart, and he smiled when he heard Lucy sigh in contentment.

Lucy hummed her approval when they were fully settled, then looked down at Ryos' smiling face. "Are you doing okay now, sweetie?" she whispered.

Ryos' eyes slowly opened to look up at her and he nodded. "Yeah, Lucy. I'm okay. Gajeel took care of me."

"After I destroyed the damn infirmary at the guild," Gajeel muttered. When Lucy turned to look up at him in question, he sighed guiltily. "He told me what happened before your spirit took him away from the fight, Bunny. I lost my shit… It's only because of the brat over here that I was able to get it together and come after you."

Lucy frowned and lightly kissed Gajeel's chest. "You thought you lost me," she whispered sadly. When Gajeel simply grunted, she shook her head. "No way in hell would I leave you, Gajeel. You know that."

"I know, little Bunny… Just scared the piss outta me, because I thought you were gone for good…"

"Lucy's too stubborn for that," Ryos chuckled, wincing slightly when his battered ribs flared with pain.

"Exactly," Lucy said with a grin. "I'd come back as a ghost if I had to." She looked back up at Gajeel. "Thank you, Gajeel. For taking care of us."

Gajeel leaned down to kiss the top of Lucy's head, the arm wrapped around Ryos lightly squeezing in silent thanks for helping him. "It's my job, Bunny. Someone's gotta keep you two safe." When both of them nuzzled him affectionately, Gajeel felt his heart swelling with emotion. This crazed blonde had stolen his heart and opened it up in ways he never would have imagined. The thought that they probably looked like a happy family right then – even though Lucy's blood had dried on his clothes and she was covered in bandages – had Gajeel's eyes clenching shut. Months ago, he never would have thought that Lucy would be able to give him this, to take away his loneliness. He had hated her so goddamn much before, but now he couldn't imagine not having her in his life. She really was everything he ever needed.

Lucy hadn't just given Gajeel the ability to care about her though. Now there was one more person in this world that he cared about. Ryos, surprisingly enough. He was long way from admitting it out loud, but Gajeel was glad that the young Slayer had befriended Lucy. That he had grown so close to her in such a short time. The three of them had one huge thing in common: being alone. He knew they were stronger together, that they would be all the support the others needed, and it couldn't have made him happier. They weren't even mated, but Lucy made him feel like he had a family for the first time in years. She brought out the best (and sometimes worst) in him, and he knew without a doubt that he never would have found this without her. "I fucking love you, Lucy," he whispered tenderly. "So goddamn much…"

Lucy smiled and looked up at see a small shine to Gajeel's eyes, just the barest hint of tears that she knew he was holding back. She couldn't blame him for wanting to cry right then, since she was on the verge of doing that herself. She had her Slayers back, the man she loved more than anything in the world and her little brother who had managed to nestle himself so deeply in her heart in a matter of days. "I love you too, Gajeel," she replied, sighing when he pressed his lips to hers in a gentle caress. This was what she had longed for while she'd been held captive by Fairy Tail. Her two dragons were wrapped around her, giving her every bit of love and affection she could have wanted and more.

Ryos nuzzled Gajeel's chest again in a silent show of affection. He didn't think he'd ever be able to thank the man enough for getting Lucy back, but he believed now more than ever that Gajeel would be the perfect mate for her. Based on everything he'd seen since she had saved him from Gajeel earlier that week, Ryos knew without a doubt that the elder Slayer would always protect her. He was everything a Dragon Slayer should be, and Ryos only hoped that one day he could bring as much happiness into his mate's life the way Gajeel did for Lucy. His sister was in good hands, and now… All they needed to do was get back home so that Gajeel could finally tell her that he wanted to make her his mate. Lucy's arm wrapped around his waist, and he sighed happily when she pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.

"I love you, Ryos," she whispered.

He smiled and nestled his nose in the crook of her neck, pulling in as much of her sweet cake-like scent as he could. "I love you too, Lucy." He felt Gajeel's hand lightly squeeze his arm, and his smile widened as his eyes slid closed.  _'I love you too, Gajeel...'_  he thought. He finally had a family, and that thought was all it took for the first of his tears to silently fall while he was held in their arms.

* * *

"Bunny," Gajeel whispered, a small smile on his face when Lucy snored softly and burrowed her nose in Ryos' hair. He didn't want to have to wake her up, but she still needed to meet with Master Jose before she could pass right the fuck out for however long she wanted. "C'mon, Bunny. Time to get up."

Ryos chuckled when he tried to pull his head away from Lucy, only for her to grumble and yank him closer to her. "Lucy, you have to go meet with Master."

Lucy frowned sleepily and whispered, "Master can go fuck himself… I'm exhausted." When Gajeel and Ryos started laughing, her lips pulled into a petulant pout. "It's not funny…"

"No, you're right," Gajeel chuckled, "But the thought of Master hearing you say that, and then your scrawny ass flying all over the goddamn room when he beats some sense into you is…"

"You're a dick, Black Steel…"

"You love my dick."

Lucy yawned, and smirked up at him while barely opening her eyes. "Nah."

"That's a goddamn lie, and you know it, little Bunny."

Lucy sighed dramatically. "I know… I do love your dick…" A devious grin that sent chills down both Slayers' spines twisted up the corners of her mouth. "I think I'll cut it off and keep it as a trophy… Or puree it… Then I can eat it for dinner."

Gajeel shook his head in amusement. "Y'know, I'm starting to enjoy how creative your threats are getting."

Ryos smiled when Lucy leaned up to tenderly kiss Gajeel. They were definitely an odd couple, but he just couldn't bring himself to care about those little quirks of theirs when he saw how happy they were together. He didn't think anything would be able to tear these two apart, not with how much he could see they loved one another. Lucy gave Gajeel a sense of belonging, as any mate should, and helped him control those wilder instincts he had gained through his magic. Gajeel always seemed to lift Lucy up in a way that was hardly noticeable unless you knew what to look for. She just lit up when he was with her. Even though mating was based entirely on choice, Ryos strongly believed that the two mages he was cuddled up to were made for each other. Skiadrum had told him that it didn't really work that way, but the sentiment was all Ryos cared about.

"While I'd love nothing more than anything to stay right fucking here and kiss you all goddamn day," Gajeel chuckled when he slowly drew back from her tempting lips, "You've gotta meet with Master. And there's still Fairies to deal with, so he'll probably be sending me back out to pick off whoever's left."

Lucy sighed and nodded. "If you find Loke, are you going to take him out too?"

"No."

Ryos' eyes widened. "What? He's one of the ones that took you though, right?"

"Loke met up with us on our way back here," Lucy said softly. "He gave me back my keys and said he wasn't fighting anymore, since  _he_  believed me when I told them why I ran away."

"Exactly," Gajeel said with a nod. "He pulled outta the fight, so as long as he doesn't try to jump back in it while I'm killing his friends, I won't go after him."

"If you find Gray though," Lucy whispered with a scowl. "Make sure he suffers…"

When Gajeel looked down at Lucy in question, Ryos tilted his head to the side. "Was that the name of the guy who grabbed you?"

She nodded. "He's why I had to hurt myself to get to Ryos. He wouldn't let me go."

"Which one is he?" Gajeel growled.

"Ice mage," Lucy answered. "Really bad stripping habit."

"You got it, Bunny. I'll kill the fuck out of him if I find him."

Lucy giggled and snuggled further into Gajeel's warmth. "You're so good to me, Black Steel."

"Gihi, damn right I am." He looked up at the clock and sighed heavily. "Let's get down there, Bunny. The sooner you talk to Master, the sooner I can bring you back here to rest with the brat, okay?"

Lucy pouted, but nodded her assent. "I guess it can't be helped." She slowly pulled herself away from her two Slayers' comforting embrace and slid the small distance to the edge of the bed.

"No fuckin' standing for you," Gajeel warned. "You're just gonna pass the hell out if you push yourself too hard." He quickly stood to his feet and lifted Lucy into his arms, then turned to look at Ryos on the bed. "Stay here. I'll bring her back as soon as she's done."

Ryos nodded, but stood up anyway. He walked around Gajeel and leaned up to press a soft kiss to Lucy's cheek. "I'll be here when you get back, big sister."

Lucy gave him a soft smile. "You'd better be," she whispered playfully. "No more rogue stunts for you today."

Ryos grinned up at her, then moved off to the side so Gajeel could pass. He watched as the pair left the room, seeing Gajeel holding Lucy just a little closer than he would have thought the Slayer would do while out in public. He had a bad feeling about the meeting with Jose though. It just didn't make any sense to him that their guild master wouldn't let Lucy rest when she was injured. Especially with just how severe her wounds were.

 _"Follow them,"_  his dragon whispered suspiciously.  _"Something isn't right…"_

Ryos nodded, remembering how Gajeel told him that the dragon within him wouldn't steer him wrong. He needed to trust his instincts, and that was exactly what he was going to do. It could just be something as simple as Gajeel getting into a fight with a Fairy that had made it into the building, and if that was the case, then Ryos could help get Lucy out of harm's way.  _'That has to be it…'_ he thought as he slipped into the shadows and slid under the crack of the now-closed infirmary door.

Something about Jose's insistence on a meeting didn't sit well with him, but Ryos just chalked it up to the fact that this was a high-stress situation. He had to believe that their guild master was on their side in all of this, and that he wouldn't put Lucy in more danger by ordering a meeting with her right then. He kept a safe distance behind Gajeel and Lucy as they made their way down the halls, eventually melding himself with Gajeel's shadow and letting it carry him right along with the pair.

"What do you think he wants?" Lucy asked softly.

"Not a damn clue, Bunny. Probably wants to know if you got any more information about the Fairies. They're running around this place trying to take out the Element Four."

Lucy scoffed. "Right, because that'll happen."

"It could happen, Bunny. You know just as well as I do that a fight can turn to shit in the blink of an eye." When Lucy trembled slightly in his arms, he nuzzled the top of her head. "I'll keep my little Bunny safe, okay? No one's gonna take you again."

Lucy nodded, reaching up and holding onto the necklace Gajeel made for her. "I trust you, Black Steel. It's just that I can't really defend myself right now. And you did tell me that I can't always rely on you to have my back in a fight, because that's just not how Phantom works."

Gajeel stopped dead in his tracks and growled. When Lucy's gaze shot up to meet his, he whispered, "That was on our mission, Bunny. Before I fell in love with you. No fucking  _way_  does that shit apply now. If you  _ever_  need me, you tell me and I'll be by your side in a damn heartbeat, got it?"

"But—"

"No. It's not up for debate," Gajeel growled. It was his job to protect the woman he wanted to take as his mate, and he refused to fail her again. "I won't let  _anyone_  hurt you again. So, fuck what I told you back then.  _You're_  the one I care about, Bunny. I'll drop everything to be there for you."

Lucy tightly gripped her necklace with one hand, then lifted the other to tenderly caress his cheek. When Gajeel's eyes closed, a soft sigh slipping from him, she smiled. "You got it, Black Steel. I should have done that earlier, huh? Maybe then those Fairies wouldn't have gotten me."

"Maybe," Gajeel said as he continued on their path to meet with Jose. "But you're also stubborn as fuck. So, I don't blame you for not trying to get back inside for help when you wanted those fuckers dead."

"Well, I'll be sure to ask for your help in the future, Gajeel."

"That's my good Bunny." Gajeel chuckled when she lightly backhanded his chest before snuggling closer. They were nearly to Jose's location when a violent rumble shook the building, and Gajeel snarled when a soft whimper could be heard from the battered woman in his arms. He crouched down, sending iron spikes from his heels into the floor to maintain his balance, and nestled his nose in her hair. "It's okay, Bunny," he whispered, "I've gotcha."

"What's happening?"

"Not sure, but we need to get to Master." If those Fairy fuckers had actually managed to defeat the Element Four somehow, then the safest place for her to be would be with Master Jose. Gajeel and Jose could keep Lucy safe there. As soon as the tremors stopped, he took a deep pull of the air and scowled when he realized just how many new scents were filtering through his sinuses. Without another moment's hesitation, Gajeel started heading towards Master Jose's location, his feet travelling faster and with much more purpose than before.

Within moments, he was standing outside of the office. One look down at Lucy showed a grim set to her jaw that he knew all too well. She was determined to show Jose that she wasn't weak, that she could uphold the name of Phantom Lord just as well as the others in the guild. With a heavy sigh, he carefully placed her on her feet.

Lucy smiled up at Gajeel, then took a step forward. She only managed another step before she stumbled, and groaned in frustration when Gajeel caught her around the waist. "You're  _not_  carrying my ass in there."

Gajeel chuckled and opened the door, then whispered, "Yeah yeah yeah. Just like on our mission, alright?"

Lucy smiled reminiscently and nodded, then leaned into Gajeel's side for support while they silently made their way into the room. She didn't pay attention to the vast expanse of stone walls around them, and instead honed in on the sight of a scowling Master Jose while he stood on a balcony across the room. The light and tender squeeze to her shoulders helped to calm the nervousness that had begun welling in her, and she lifted one hand to timidly lace her fingers with Gajeel's. Another gentle squeeze, and Lucy found herself smiling. No matter how badly she was reamed by Master Jose for getting so fucked up, Lucy still had her dragon to protect her. She could handle anything as long as Gajeel was with her.

Jose was seething. Absolutely infuriated. He looked at the screens in front of him that showed each of the four 'strongest' mages in his guild, beaten. "I don't believe it. My strongest wizards, the Element Four, were completely wiped out by that worthless Fairy Tail trash?!" he bellowed.

"If you're beat by trash, then you're trash yourself," Gajeel said with a sneer. Honestly, what in the actual fuck were those four thinking in letting Fairy Tail get through them? They all knew the score, and that the Abyss Break weapon on this building was linked to them. Those Fairies couldn't possibly be strong enough to get through them, not with how badly they had been getting creamed earlier at the Phantom guild hall.

"Gajeel…" Jose said, his eyes widening in surprise. He hadn't expected the Iron Slayer to return so quickly, especially not when he'd looked at the lacrima feed that was coming from the infirmary and saw Gajeel, Lucy, and that younger Dragon Slayer cuddled up to one another on a bed. It seemed as though they still understood the concept of following orders, at least. He slowly turned around, and a wide grin spread across his face when he took in the bandaged blonde that was forcing herself to stand. Even though she was mainly using Gajeel to keep herself upright, he appreciated the effort to maintain Phantom's image. "So, you've returned bearing a gift, have you?"

"Yeah, I picked you up a little something while I was out," Gajeel answered, sounding for all the world as though he had just run down to the store and gotten a candy bar for the man.

"Oh, very impressive, my boy," Jose nearly crooned, internally grinning when he saw Gajeel's chest nearly puff out with pride. "How were you able to track her down so quickly?"

"You should never underestimate the nose of a Dragon Slayer."

"Excellently done, Gajeel! I knew I could count on you!" Jose looked at Lucy again and saw that same smile she always greeted him with whenever they saw each other. She definitely looked exhausted, and he personally would have preferred to wait until they had returned to Oak Town to handle this business with her. Then again, her being in such a state could work to his advantage if he needed it to. "Lucy, my dear."

"Yes, Master?" Lucy asked, gulping when she straightened herself up a little more.

"It's good to see that you're still standing," Jose answered. "I do apologize for not giving you more time to rest, but this is an urgent matter." He paused and motioned to the small couch that was against a wall. "Please have a seat. We don't need you overexerting yourself."

Lucy nodded and let Gajeel carefully lead her over to the couch, sighing when she sat down and feeling the strain on her body decreasing by the second. She was sure the little red piece of furniture was comfortable under normal circumstances, but her injuries just made everything hurt. Even still, she couldn't find it in herself to complain when Gajeel stood by her side as a melodic dinging noise came through the speakers in the rest of the building.

"Attention, you pathetic Fairy Tail worms," Jose said into the loudspeaker, glaring at the images of the Fairies that had somehow managed to defeat his highest ranked mages. "Listen carefully, because I'll only say this once. We have Lucy Heartfilia, which means our first order of business is now out of the way. And that leaves us with just one more thing. My  _favorite_ part. Wiping all of you miserable brats right off the face of the Earth!"

Gajeel chuckled darkly and leaned down to give Lucy a tender kiss just as Jose came to the bottom of the stairs on his way toward them. "I'll be right outside, Bunny," he whispered. "Master wants to have a chat. I'll make sure those shitstains don't get in here, alright?"

Lucy sighed with a soft smile on her face. "You got it, Black Steel. Don't get your ass kicked out there."

Gajeel chuckled and gave her a quick peck before standing up and making his way out of the room, and Ryos took that time to shift from the older Slayer's shadow to the one beneath the couch. He was definitely surprised that Gajeel and Lucy were being so openly affectionate in front of Master Jose, but he could only guess that this whole ordeal made them realize that they didn't need to hide being together. Lucy wasn't kidnapped to get to Gajeel, and no one was trying to exploit the knowledge of them being together. He knew it was only a matter of time before they figured out that they didn't have anything to worry about. His big sister and the Slayer that wanted to make her his mate were strong, and they could take down anyone that even thought to try something so stupid.

Jose chuckled as he sat down next to Lucy on the couch. He didn't have much time before he needed to go deal with the Fairies that had defeated his mages himself, but he had to speak with her first. "You've done well, my dear. Just what I expect of a  _true_  Phantom."

Lucy's weak smile brightened, and she blushed at the rare praise. "Of course, Master Jose. No way are some fucking Fairies taking me down so easily."

He chuckled at that. If one thing was for certain, the blonde was a capable and inventive fighter. He hadn't been too worried about her surviving once Fairy Tail took her. After all, they were a bunch of bleeding hearts. "Your mission was successful, but there's something else I must ask of you." The attentiveness in her gaze made him grin. He would be getting just what he wanted soon enough, and Lucy Heartfilia was the key to it all.

 


	18. Arc 1: The Truth is Revealed

 

Lucy focused all of her attention on the Wizard Saint sitting next to her. While they were still in Oak Town, Master Jose had called her into a meeting before even Gajeel had met with him. She had originally assumed that it was because she was at the guild when they all knew that Fairy Tail was going to be busting down the doors for revenge, but he'd quickly remedied that misconception.

In her meeting with Master Jose, he'd given her very specific instructions on what needed to happen when Fairy Tail attacked them. He knew Makarov extremely well, and said that the older mage wouldn't hesitate to retaliate for the outcome of Gajeel's mission. Jose knew that Fairy Tail was coming, but he said that only his strongest members knew it as well—which surprisingly included Lucy herself. She wasn't allowed to say a single thing to  _anyone_  about what had been said in the meeting, because Jose told her that her silence would guarantee the desired effects in the guild as a whole. Essentially, Lucy had to be captured by Fairy Tail, convince them to take her to their guild, and then he could implement the next phase of his plan. A full-on assault against Fairy Tail for taking one of his members, one that would ensure their utter destruction. She had been assured repeatedly that he would send someone to collect her from the Fairies in the event that she wasn't able to break out herself once the next phase started, but Lucy hadn't liked it one bit.

Luckily for her, the small mission that Jose had given her really was a success. She had been captured by Fairy Tail. They took her to the guild without her really having to do any convincing. Phantom Lord was able to launch a counterattack in the form of this enormous building. She could have most likely gotten the same result without causing so much damage to herself, but then Ryos had shown up. She had hoped to take out a few Fairies in the process though. She hadn't killed Cana when given the chance, but quite a few of their members had been sorely hurting after they had encountered her whip. Still, that wasn't enough in her eyes.

Jose sighed softly, in mock sympathy, and said, "This started because of your father, my dear. I'm sure you know about all that, and you have more knowledge concerning him than even I do."

Lucy nodded slowly while lowering her gaze to where her hands were resting in her lap. "Yes, Master."

"I would like to make a suggestion," Jose said carefully. "After we have handled these Fairies, your father will need to be dealt with." He watched as Lucy stiffened, her wide brown eyes shooting up to meet his gaze. Carefully placing his hands over hers, he continued. "I do not mean that he will need to be eliminated. He is your father, after all."

"Then… What?"

"We will need to deal with the threat he poses, Lucy. You have been severely injured because of his attempt at getting you to return."

"Y-You…" she whispered uncertainly. "You don't care why he wants me back?"

Jose's lips curled in a devilish smile that he knew she would take as pride. "Of course not, my dear," he whispered. "You are one of my most powerful mages, and one of the most loyal. I believe in maintaining the power of Phantom Lord, and as one of those pillars… I refuse to let you be taken away. Especially not by a man who does not appreciate your true potential. I can help you hone your skills, give you more power than any Celestial mage has acquired in centuries. But, for that to happen, we cannot leave possible future interference from your father to chance."

Lucy blushed and nodded slowly. She felt pride in herself and her magic swelling as Master Jose spoke. She had always wanted to be a mage that her mother would have been proud to call her daughter. She wanted to prove to her father that magic wasn't pointless. That she was worth more than a womb and a pretty face for whomever he wanted to force her into marrying. Master Jose had called her a pillar of the guild's support system, and it only bolstered her confidence in her abilities as a mage. While she had allowed herself to be captured by giving the fight earlier everything she had, it had still stung that she hadn't been able to take out any Fairies permanently. Especially Gray Fullbuster. "What do you have in mind, Master?" she asked. Lucy didn't want to continually worry about her father doing something even more extreme to get her to return to the Heartfilia Konzern. She didn't want to always look over her shoulder, to be afraid that something would happen to cause her to get taken away from her Slayers. She just couldn't be separated from Gajeel and Ryos again.

"Your father's power lies in his standing in high society," Jose replied firmly, a contemplative look on his face. "For the threat he poses to be eliminated, he would need to lose those connections. If he has no power to hire guilds or any others to kidnap you and force you to return, then the threat will be eliminated."

Lucy frowned slightly while she mulled it over. The only ways for her father to lose his standing in high society was for him to either go bankrupt, or for some scandal to take place that would ruin his image. Her father wasn't one to participate in anything remotely scandalous, and it would take lots of work to try and find something that was believable enough for that to work. Which only left… "His money…"

"Precisely, my dear," Jose grinned. "We can deal with these Fairies, and then contact your father. Tell him that you're being held for ransom, and take everything he has to his name. Phantom does not take threats to our strongest members lightly. Once the transfer is made, we will simply refuse to return you to him. He will have no choice but to stop pursuing you."

Lucy looked down at where her hands were joined with Master Jose's with an utterly blank face. She couldn't let her emotions out where they could be seen. It took everything in her to keep her hands from shaking, but she somehow managed it. She might not agree with what her father was doing, or what he was planning if she ever returned to the estate, but the success of the Konzern was built by  _both_  of her parents. It was one of the only things in this world that was left of her mother. Layla and Jude had started out with nothing, and had worked their way up to the position that her family now held. Not just that, but he was still her father. This issue could easily be sorted out by her going to talk things out with him - with Gajeel as backup, preferably. He would understand just how futile his efforts were once she had a chance to talk some sense into him. And, if that didn't work, then she was sure Gajeel would be able to convince him otherwise.

But why would Master Jose even suggest something like that to begin with? He had known her full name since she joined the guild, so did that mean that he had been planning something like this from the beginning? She looked back up at her guild master, and for the first time ever, she saw a malicious gleam in his eye. A look of triumph that something was going his way. "I'm… I'm sorry, Master," she whispered while pulling her hands from his grasp. "I don't think I can do that to him. I want to be in Phantom Lord more than anything, and I'll fight everything that comes my way concerning this issue just like a Phantom should. But I can't destroy the life he built with my mother."

Jose took a deep breath and nodded with an understanding smile. "Of course, Lucy. It was simply a suggestion," he said. "When we return to the guild, you will need time to heal. Once you are at full strength again, we can sit down and decide how this should be handled. I doubt he will make another attempt to collect you so soon after Fairy Tail falls, but just in case… Gajeel will continue his assignment as a bodyguard of sorts."

Lucy sighed in relief and gave Master Jose a weak smile. "Thank you, Master."

Jose gently patted her bandaged knee as he stood up. "I will be right back. I have some questions about Fairy Tail that could help us in this fight with them."

Ryos scowled as he watched Master Jose stand up and walk toward the door from his place in the shadows. He knew there was something off about this whole thing, and he was glad that he'd listened to his instincts' advice in following Lucy and Gajeel.  _'What is he planning?'_

 _"It's hard to say, Ryos,"_  his inner dragon whispered with narrowed eyes,  _"But we must protect her at all costs."_

There was no reason for him to nod, since the dragon already knew that he agreed with that sentiment. It didn't matter how hurt he was. If Lucy needed to be protected from Master Jose, then Ryos would willingly lay his life on the line for her. Maybe Jose just wanted to use Lucy to get to her father's money. But there was something more sinister in his eyes as he paused to look at back at her.

"Whatever your current relationship is with Gajeel," Jose said slowly with a small quirk to his lips. "I would like you to know that I approve."

Lucy blinked in surprise, her mouth opening and closing a few times before she finally managed to very eloquently ask, "Wha… Huh?"

Jose chuckled softly and shook his head. "We all need allies, Lucy. And you have gained one of the strongest allies possible by getting closer to him."

"Um…" Lucy whispered uncomfortably. "Thanks…? I don't really see him as just a strong ally, but… Yeah… Thanks, Master."

He chuckled again and turned around to make his way to the door, letting his gaze linger for an extra moment on the small shadow just beneath the couch he and Lucy had been sitting on. "Even better," he whispered to himself.

It took everything in Ryos to keep himself hidden when Master Jose's eyes locked with his. The man shouldn't have been able to tell he was there at all. Skiadrum had always told him that the shadows would conceal him in a way that he could never be detected. But… Jose had looked right at him. He  _knew_  the young Slayer was there.  _'That's impossible. He couldn't know I'm here… But… he looked right at me...'_

"Very stealthy indeed," Jose whispered just as he reached the door. "You'll go far, my boy."

Ryos felt cold fear streaking through him with an intensity he'd never experienced before. The chill from the shadows he was nestled in suddenly felt colder, and he couldn't suppress the small, shuddering whimper that left him. There was no denying that Master Jose had been able to see him, and he wondered just how long the man had known he was there. Had he phrased things differently because there was a spy in the room? Why hadn't he torn Ryos from the shadows, or called him out on it, then punished him for his insolence?

_"Don't worry about that, Ryos. Focus on Lucy."_

Ryos couldn't though. Not when the image of that sadistic grin was plastered on the forefront of his mind. Something very bad was coming, and he'd been pulled right into the thick of it. He and Lucy were too weak at that point to defend themselves properly, but Gajeel was right outside. He could keep them safe from Master Jose.  _"He's going to turn on her… Master is… He's going to hurt my sister…"_

 _"Then he will pay with his life, boy,"_  his inner dragon growled. " _Remember. What do dragons protect?"_

Ryos was trembling as he stared at the now-closed door that Jose had walked through, but his lip still curled into a vicious snarl.  _"Dragons protect what's theirs."_ His fear of their guild master morphed into something he had a hard time naming. It was a deeply ingrained instinct flaring to life within him, pushing well past the boundaries of what little he knew of anger. This had to be what Gajeel felt when he'd lost it in the infirmary back in Oak Town. This fire within that felt as though it would eat him alive, burning through his synapses until he was seeing red and his vision started to become hyper-focused. Ryos was ready to march out of the room and tear Jose to pieces with his bare hands, but he had to think of Lucy first. He had to stay quiet, remain in the shadows, and watch over her until she needed him.

_"And how fiercely do they do it?"_

_"With their lives…"_ No one would lay a finger on Lucy again. With Gajeel alone, she would be more than safe. And when Ryos had more time to train in the future, he would be able to protect his big sister just as well. For now, he would just have to settle for doing whatever he could to keep her out of harm's way to begin with. He would be her guard, in every sense of the word, until he was able to talk to Gajeel about Master Jose.

* * *

When the door opened to reveal Master Jose, Gajeel pushed himself off of the wall he'd been leaning against to face him. He couldn't hear anymore fighting in the building, so he assumed that the Fairies were trying to regroup before continuing on their way to try and stop Phantom from killing everyone in their pathetic little guild. He wanted to head down there and pick the little fuckers off one by one, slowly torturing each of them for even thinking of taking Lucy away from him. And he sure as shit wanted to find that Gray Fullbuster guy. Lucy and Ryos had said he was the one that was to blame for Lucy's injuries, so he was at the top of Gajeel's list.

Jose's grin disappeared just as he was closing the door, his anger slowly rising to the surface. He could tell by that short conversation with Lucy that there would be no chance of swaying her to his way of thinking. Over the course of her membership in his guild, Lucy had taken every bit of criticism or guidance to heart. She had molded herself perfectly to the ways of Phantom Lord, and had become nearly as feared as Gajeel himself. But she clearly still held a much stronger will than the Iron Slayer. There was still something good in her that kept her from jumping on the opportunity to ruin her father, and that just wouldn't do. He needed to break her spirit, to remove that last bit of light that was left in the young blonde, then she would be much more amenable to the idea of taking her father for everything he was worth.

Still, he knew it wouldn't work. Especially not with Ryos having heard him. Which meant the only thing to do was have both Lucy and the younger Slayer dealt with. Ryos wouldn't be much of a problem, because he was still so young. There was still hope to corrupt the boy as he had done with Gajeel all those years ago. Lucy though… She was a different story. He stood stone still in front of the closed door, staring at the ground as he spoke. "I see you and Lucy have grown very close, Gajeel," he said softly, chancing a small glance at the pierced mage to see him nod.

"Yeah," Gajeel replied. There was no point in hiding it any longer. He didn't give a shit who knew that he and Lucy were more than just… Whatever the hell they were before. Hell, he didn't even know what their relationship had turned into. More than just fucking, but less than dating. Not really friends with benefits, since they weren't friends by any stretch of the imagination. Almost mated, nearly a family, but still so goddamn far away from it that there just wasn't a way to describe it. He loved her more than anything, and sometimes he still hated her fucking guts with a passion. She tied his ass up in knots, then banged him into the ground until they were both hardly able to move. It was confusing as hell, but that's just who Lucy was. His little psychotic Bunny. "Something like that."

Jose sighed heavily and shook his head. He hadn't wanted it to come to this, but it seemed there was no other way. "That will only make what I have to tell you more difficult, I'm afraid," he whispered.

Gajeel's eyes narrowed dangerously. He didn't like how that shit sounded one bit. He sure as hell didn't feel like standing out in the hallway and talking to Jose. What he wanted was to get into that room and check on Lucy to make sure she was still doing alright. Still… There were scores of warning bells ringing in his head. He just couldn't tell why they were going the fuck off in the first place.

"It has come to my attention that my suspicions concerning Lucy Heartfilia's allegiance were warranted," Jose said with a sneer. He would do whatever it took to ensure Gajeel believed him. There was definitely enough proof for it, he just had to twist the past events in his favor. "I sent her on that mission with you for several reasons, Gajeel. Do you remember what they were?"

"Sure," Gajeel said slowly. It felt like a lifetime ago that he had been standing in Master Jose's office, getting his orders for the mission that changed everything for him and Lucy. It hadn't even been two months, but he still had to work to recall just what he had been told that day. "Train her, gain her trust, make sure she's loyal to Phantom."

"It seems that your mission wasn't entirely successful as we were led to believe, Gajeel. With everything that is happening with Fairy Tail, I was concerned that Lucy may have held a greater role in these events than we had previously considered."

"How so?" Gajeel growled. "Her old man's the one that hired 'em."

"Yes," Jose sighed. "So we've been led to believe. But…" He paused and stared down at the Iron Slayer. The anger radiating from Gajeel was nearly palpable, and he knew right then that Lucy Heartfilia had dug her claws extraordinarily deep into the young mage. It would take a little more work than he would have liked, but Jose was prepared to push every button until Gajeel believed him. "Lucy was undercover, Gajeel. She is a member of Fairy Tail, and only joined Phantom Lord so Makarov could keep an eye on us."

Gajeel froze, his jaw clenched as tightly as though it was wired shut. There was no fucking possible way that Lucy, his little psycho Bunny, was a goddamn Fairy. This had to be some sort of sick, twisted fucking joke. Except… Master Jose sure as shit didn't joke around when it came to Fairy Tail.

 _"You know her,"_  his inner dragon growled.  _"Don't doubt your mate."_

He didn't doubt Lucy. Not now, not ever. He was there when those fucking Fairies saw him carrying her to the guild. He heard what the little blue-haired bitch had said. "There's no way she's a fuckin' rat, Master. I'd've smelled that shit from a mile away."

Jose shook his head sadly. Lucy had really gotten Gajeel wrapped around her little finger. It was just too bad that he was going to unravel the Slayer's trust in the woman. "Don't you find it odd that, with her history of being an heiress, she was still able to accomplish all that she has?" he asked slowly. "She was too capable to handle those missions on her own, and yet… She did. She was trained before coming to the guild, Gajeel."

That wasn't right. Lucy was all about tactics. It was something she could fucking do in her sleep. Hell, even  _he_  had gotten her advice where planning shit was concerned, because she was a fucking godsend when it came down to it. Lucy was scrappy, a fast thinker, and quick on her feet. He had been able to see that much when they started that mission for her training. She had been physically weak, sure; but she made up for it in intellect. And now, she was the perfect combination of both. Strong enough to handle herself, and terrifyingly intelligent. All wrapped up in that sexy little body of hers.

Jose's eyes narrowed when Gajeel growled and didn't make a move to answer. It seemed he would need to take a slightly different tactic with this. "Her mission, Gajeel. You saw for yourself just how thorough the information was. And she still has it in her possession, with that spirit of hers. How would someone like her, or anyone that isn't a part of that guild for that matter, get that much information in only a week's time?"

"Her spirits," Gajeel growled, "And she was disguised. She told us that."

"And do you really think that she would tell us the truth if she was working as a double agent for Makarov and that Fairy trash?" Jose sneered. "She provided us with years and years of blueprints for that guild." He paused and pointed to the decimated building that they could see through a small window. "Makarov would be the only person capable of giving her such detailed information. He could choose what to put in there, and what to leave out. Which does correlate with the comment she made about those blueprints being as close as they could get to what was currently in the guild. Those files she had on the members were far more detailed than observations from afar and a few stories on a train could provide her with. The only way Lucy could have possibly been able to get so much information, and  _memorized_ it so thoroughly, is if she already knew it herself. She fooled all of us, Gajeel. Those pathetic pests are her friends, and she's been in cahoots with them this whole time."

He refused to believe it. He just couldn't.  _'I know my Bunny,'_  he thought angrily. She wouldn't betray him like this. Lucy wouldn't betray the guild or Master Jose like this. She was loyal, just like he was. But, what if it was true? Had he really been so blinded by that tight ass and huge rack that he hadn't noticed that her story was too perfect when returning from her mission?

 _"Don't listen to his lies, Gajeel,"_  his inner dragon growled menacingly.  _"She called you, remember? She needed your protection and comfort while she was away. She needs you now. You're wasting time with him when you should be taking care of your mate."_

"I'm sure you're wondering why she was fighting against them so fiercely back at the guild, if she was really part of Fairy Tail," Jose mused with a smirk hidden beneath his scowl. "It was all to maintain her cover, Gajeel. You told me that she was catapulted out of the building at one point, while you were facing off against Natsu Dragneel. It was planned. She needed to give them information without being seen by anyone else. Without being seen or heard by you. She knew what was coming, just like the rest of my S-Class, and she made sure to pass that information along to her allies."

"She was injured though…" Gajeel whispered with a scowl.

"Self-inflicted, as even you said," Jose replied. "She spent all this time maintaining her cover, Gajeel. There was no guarantee that she would be pulled out of Phantom right away, so she had to keep up appearances, even in paying her pound in flesh. If we had rescued her sooner, and she wasn't injured, it would have been suspicious."

_"Ryos told you the truth, Gajeel. He witnessed the fight. Why would he lie about that?"_

Gajeel nearly shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. He did believe Lucy. He knew she wouldn't lie to him. But then why would Master Jose lie? What could the guild master possibly gain from saying that Lucy was part of Fairy Tail?  _'I know they told me the truth, you crusty fucking bastard. Shut the hell up!'_

"If she was loyal to the guild," Jose continued with a suspicious tone in his voice, "She would have gotten here on her own. The only reason they tied her up in that warehouse was because she was too injured to fight against you when you came for her. Why do you think they're still coming for her, Gajeel? Lucy betrayed us, and she lied to us all. She lied to you about her loyalties."

 _'How does he know where I found her?'_  he thought. Had Lucy told him that she was tied up in a warehouse? Gajeel definitely hadn't. There had been no reason to tell Master Jose just what was going on where that was concerned. Gajeel clenched his fists and fought against the sudden wave of pain that flashed through his whole body, radiating from his shoulder. He really needed to check out that damn bite mark she had left on him, because it was starting to piss him off with its incessant bullshit. First itching, now searing heat. His Bunny wouldn't lie to him. She loved him, just as much as he loved her.  _'But, she didn't tell me about her old man until he started coming after her...'_

_"No, you idiot. You found out about him before that."_

_'Did I?'_ The past week was obviously starting to catch up with him. Between the lack of proper sleep, the stress from this whole Fairy Tail ordeal, the threat to Lucy's freedom, and everything fucking else, his brain was shot. He was beyond exhausted already, and all he wanted to do was get back home so he could tell Lucy about what the bites really meant.

"The worst part of all of this though," Jose said sadly, "Is that she was ordered to target you, specifically."

Gajeel snarled and turned sharply to glare at Master Jose. "What?"

Jose nodded. "She's a Black Widow. The perfect undercover operative, and Makarov got to her first. Those outfits she wears are meant to draw men in, and she used you to get information about the guild. To climb the ranks and get into our inner circle. I'm sad to say that even I fell for her deception. I ordered you to work with her, and that was exactly what she was after all this time. Out of the five S-Class mages in the guild, you are the only one that doesn't have a partner. You work alone, and have no ties to the others in any way." He sneered viciously. "She poisoned you, my strongest mage, my protégé. A proud Dragon Slayer like yourself, and she wheedled her way in. She gained your trust, Gajeel. I can see it in your eyes."

"Yer lying," Gajeel growled. "She wouldn't fuckin' do that. Bunny Girl's not like that."

"Isn't she?" Jose asked as he turned to face Gajeel directly. "We all witnessed it firsthand in that meeting with the Element Four. She was all bright smiles until it was time for her to begin her presentation. Then she shut down every emotion and turned into a robot. And you mean to tell me that she couldn't possibly have tricked you into thinking that she cares for you?"

"She does. She fucking loves me…"

A dark grin pulled up Jose's lips into a cruel mask. "Is  _that_  what she told you, Gajeel? Did she possibly tell you that she'll never leave you? That nothing in the world could take her away from you? She gave you comfort with her body, used whatever she had at her disposal to lure you in, and then gave you empty promises of a life together. Didn't she…"

Gajeel's growling intensified as he stared at Master Jose. His inner dragon was roaring in its anger that someone would dare to talk about Lucy that way. Guild master or not, one of the Ten fucking Wizard Saints or not… Gajeel was going to kill this bastard. He made Lucy sound as though she was nothing more than a whore. "Don't fuckin' talk about her that way. She's not like that. I fuckin' know my Bunny, and she wouldn't-"

" _Your_  Bunny?" Jose chuckled. "Gajeel, don't you see? Lucy has you wrapped around her finger already. Why do you think she stood up to you before joining the guild? To gain your attention. Why did she argue with you when anyone else that came near her would get thrown across the guild or beaten into a pulp? Because she could tell that you liked the challenge she provided. You thrived on it. She was so committed to this role that she had her Fairy Tail guild mark removed, just so ours could be put on her. And what color is it, Gajeel? Why does that color look so familiar to you? When you look at her stomach, you like how it looks on her, don't you? How the color  _red_  looks?"

Gajeel's mouth opened to continue ripping into his guild master, but that damn dragon in his head wouldn't shut the hell up long enough to let him get a thought of his own out.

"Your eyes, Gajeel," Jose continued. "Before even getting to know you, after only interacting with you once. Lucy's guild mark is the  _exact_ same color as your eyes. She knew it would appeal to you, that you would find some sense of familiarity with it - even if you didn't realize it at the time - and that would make you want her more."

Gajeel froze at that, his eyes widening as the truth of Jose's words hit him full force. Lucy's guild mark really was the same color as his eyes. He knew now that her favorite color was pink, so why the hell would she get her guild mark in another color? Why  _that_  color? Even her bedspread was crimson. A good portion of the clothes that he had glimpsed in her closet were in varying shades of red as well.

Jose saw it. That moment that Gajeel's loyalty to Lucy began to waver. This was his chance, and he had to jump on it with everything he was worth. "I have no reason to lie to you about this, Gajeel. You were the one that came to me, remember? You crawled out of the woods, stumbled into the guild as soon as it opened, and nearly begged me to take you under my wing. And I have done all I can to nurture you into the strong mage that you are now. There is a reason that  _you_  have never been given a partner to work with before, Gajeel. My right hand needs to be strong enough to take over one day in the future. You have been a Phantom for  _years_ , while she has only been with us for a few months. You were nearly feral when you came to me after being abandoned. That dragon of yours left you behind, and that is exactly what Lucy will do to you. It's what she was planning all along."

"No…" Gajeel whispered. That couldn't be right. Lucy wouldn't abandon him. She promised she wouldn't. He had opened himself up to her completely, had broken down and fucking  _cried_  with her holding him. He loved her more than anything, so why? Why would she make him believe she loved him as well if it was all just a ruse? "She… Bunny won't leave me…"

Jose sighed and pulled an envelope out of his cloak. "My boy, if you don't want to believe me," he said softly, "Then look at these. I had Sol follow Lucy on her mission, to keep an eye on her while she was scouting in Magnolia." He was suddenly extremely glad he had thought to bring these with him. They would be the ticket to bringing Gajeel to his way of thinking. "See for yourself…"

Gajeel drowned out the snarling voice of his inner dragon while taking the envelope from Master Jose. His hands were shaking as he opened the flap and pulled out a stack of pictures, and he felt his blood running cold while he looked at each one in quick succession.

Lucy sitting on a train, smiling while talking with two Fairies. He recognized one of them as Loke, the guy that had given Lucy her keys back.  _'That's why he gave them to her. So she could summon her spirits to fight us.'_

The next was of Lucy sitting in a coffee shop with a brown pixie cut wig on. Across from her was Erza Scarlet. There were matching smiles on their faces, as though they were the closest of friends. Lucy was leaning forward across the table, a slightly devious glint in her eyes while whispering something.  _'They look like they already know each other...'_

There were several pictures of Lucy smiling while passing by members of Fairy Tail. Her sitting in a library and looking at magazines. But the worst one, the one that turned the ice in his veins to a raging fire, was the last picture. Natsu fucking Dragneel was sitting on a rooftop, leaning back against a low wall with his legs spread open and that stupid fucking scarf wrapped around his head. With him was Lucy, dressed in all black and on her hands and knees in front of him. She was leaning in, her scarf-covered lips touching his ear and her nose nestled in those stupid fucking pink locks. Her back was arched so erotically, it made his mouth instinctively water at just the sight of her ass sticking up in the air. But what he could see of her eyes showed that they were heavy-lidded. That was a look only  _he_  was supposed to see on her.

It instantly reminded him of the fight in the guild. She got so close to Salamander that morning. Lucy had straddled him, let him touch her waist and hold her while she cried. It had looked as though she was getting ready to fuck him right there when she leaned down to his ear at the time. Gajeel had believed she was going to scream in his ear to injure him, but… What if that wasn't the case? What if she was going to blow her cover right then and there by giving the fiery fucker a warning of some sort?

His anger had gotten the best of him, and he had ripped her away from Natsu. Sure, Lucy had started threatening the Fire Dragon Slayer, but that could have easily been to keep up appearances. Maybe she was actually fucking Salamander this whole time.

 _"She wouldn't do that, dumbass!"_  his inner dragon bellowed.  _"Don't you see what he's doing?!"_

Gajeel couldn't see anything now. Nothing but red. Lucy had lied to him about everything. He could see the proof that he had ignored before. It was all there. He just had to put the fucking pieces together. She told him what he wanted to hear when it mattered. She had used her body to her advantage, and made him drool over her ass just like every other guy that walked past. He hated to admit it, but the fact that someone as beautiful as Lucy had chosen to be with a guy like him had boosted his fucking ego through the roof.

 _'And I was gonna make her my mate,'_ he thought angrily. He had been willing to give her the fucking world. He was going to tie himself to her for the rest of their lives and then some. He gave her his heart on a goddamn platter, opened himself up to her in a way he'd never known possible. He trusted to her take care of him, just like he would take care of her. She promised to be there for him whenever he needed it, that he would never be alone again because he would always have his Bunny. She asked for a goddamn  _dragon_  as her piercing from him, and he'd thought that meant she really cared about him.

 _'She gained my trust!'_ Gajeel hadn't allowed himself to trust anyone easily after Metallicana had left him. It took several years for Jose to get it, but he had proven himself time and again. Lucy though. Four fucking months after she joined, and she had it. She turned to him for comfort again and again when she had those nightmares about that night in the woods. She took solace in the warmth he had begrudgingly - and then willingly - provided her. She made him believe that she trusted him, and told him things that he thought were only for a privileged few. She gave him gifts - a sense of comfort in seeing Draco's constellation, and then that book - blew his mind in the bedroom, openly said she trusted him. Everything she had done was to draw him closer, to make him drop his guard so that she could get whatever the hell she wanted out of him.

It was all a fucking lie.

 _'That Shrimp talked about Lucy like she knew her...'_  There was another nail in the coffin. The Fairies he had brutalized had been talking shit about Lucy, and he'd lost his mind in his rage. But now that he knew better, he could see it for exactly what it was. They knew the kind of person Lucy really was. Master Jose had called her Black Widow, and based on what that little blunette had said about Lucy disappearing as soon as he was locked up and moving on to the next guy, he was fucking right. She had tricked him, and those Fairies had been trying to warn him about it.

When the bookworm had realized that Lucy was the one that asked him to make them suffer, she had been mortified. He saw the horror in her eyes that night, and now it made sense. One of her guild mates was going to let her get tortured all for the purpose of keeping her cover intact.

 _"She's insane!"_ Droy had shouted. He already knew Lucy was insane, and it had appealed to him so goddamn much. But there was more to it that he hadn't seen.

 _"Here you are attacking a good and sweet girl, all on the whim of some whore!"_ It was what Jet had said to him. If she was a Black Widow, then she had done shit like this before. Lured men in using whatever she needed to, fucking them if it was necessary, then eating their asses alive.

_"... I'm sure they'll be more than happy to pay Lucy back for what she's done… She's a freak… I pity you. She's probably just using you… Are you so wrapped around her little finger that you jumped at the opportunity to do her bidding? Your little slut of a girlfriend will be the last thing you see before the Rune Knights drag you away, and she'll forget all about you. Do you really think that if you're not in the picture she'll stick around? She'll just skip right along to the next guy, open her legs nice and wide, and do the same thing to him that she's doing to you!"_

It was all right fucking there. Those Fairies had told him in plain fucking English  _exactly_  the kind of person Lucy was. Gajeel's heart shattered as Levy's words rung through his head, drowning out the furious roar coming from his instincts. He had been the one to let Lucy in, and now he was getting the short end of the stick again. Just like he always did. He was nothing to her. Nothing more than a goddamn pawn.

"I'm sorry that I had to be the one to tell you this, Gajeel," Jose said softly when he saw the pictures being crumpled in the Iron Slayer's fists. "I know how much it hurt you when you were abandoned before, and I've sworn to you that it will never happen again. Not while you're a Phantom." He watched a feral snarl pull at Gajeel's upper lip before wild, burning red eyes lifted to stare at him. He could practically feel the rage wafting off of the mage before him. "Lucy already admitted to everything I've told you. I just had to ask her the right questions."

 _"You stupid fucking moron!"_  Gajeel's inner dragon roared.  _"You're going to listen to him? That's not true! None of it is! You **know**  Lucy. She's your Bunny. Your mate, you dumb fucking tool! Why don't you ask her for yourself? Maybe that'd be a good idea instead of just believing this shit stain of a fucking human being!"_

Gajeel growled and tried to force that part of his instincts to vanish.  _'No, **she's**  the fucking liar. She used me. Just like everyone fucking else uses me. I'm nothing to her. All I was to Lucy was goddamn stepping stone! Just another fucking job.'_

_"That's not it at all, and you fucking know it! Remember how happy she was to see you? How she held onto you when she was so goddamn terrified of a snapping branch in the woods? What about that fucking sunrise shit? Or those shooting motherfucking stars? Goddamnit, Gajeel. Listen to me!"_

_'I'm done listening to you, asshole,"_ Gajeel thought angrily.  _'I was right to fight your ass where she was concerned. You're just trying to make me find a mate.'_

_"And you found one in Lucy!"_

_'No… She used me. You made me believe her when I would have seen the truth a long fucking time ago. Leave me the hell alone.'_

"You know what we do to spies, Gajeel," Jose said firmly. "Take care of it. I have to go deal with her guild mates." He saw Gajeel's vicious snarl turn into a wicked and malicious grin, and smiled proudly. "You are most definitely my strongest mage, Gajeel. A true Phantom. Never forget that." There was no point in keeping Lucy Heartfilia around now that she knew of his true intentions. The simplest thing to do would be to have her eliminated. Once that was done, he could contact her father and hold her for ransom. Then, as soon as the Heartfilia estate was drained of every Jewel, Jude would get his daughter's corpse. He hated that he wouldn't be able to bend her to his will, but at least he had Gajeel.

Gajeel watched as Master Jose walked off, his nostrils flaring while he let out a low growl. He looked down at the crumpled pictures in his hands and felt tears stinging his eyes. He refused to let them fall though. He had shown enough weakness where Lucy was concerned, and now it was time for him to man the fuck up. She played his ass like a goddamn fiddle, and he was done with it. She needed to know that it wasn't smart to fuck with a Dragon Slayer. He turned towards the room Lucy was still in and roughly pulled the door open before stalking inside.

The weak smile she gave him had the knife in his heart twisting painfully, and he let out another low growl while he made his way toward her. She didn't move a fucking muscle. She didn't even seem scared of him. That was about to fucking change.

It wasn't until his hand was wrapped tightly around her throat, and she was dangling in the air in front of him, that he saw some sort of realization hit. He tightened his grip and snarled wildly while she weakly clawed at his arm. "You fucking lied to me!" he roared, throwing the blonde across the room. He was Black Steel Gajeel for a damn reason, and she  _should_  be scared. He knew the truth now, and he was going to make her pay for hurting him.

He watched as she slammed into the wall and slid to the ground, and when her eyes met his, he saw something he had never once witnessed in their honey depths. He saw fear.  _'She should be afraid. She's not gonna get away with this… I'll fucking kill her for what she's done...'_  Gajeel let out a roar that was just as loud as the dragon manifested by his instincts. He refused to listen to that scaly piece of his imagination, no matter how much it told him that this was wrong. Lucy lied to him, and now she was going to pay for it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly had trouble writing this chapter simply because of the mindfuck that Jose uses on Gajeel. I didn't want it to happen, and instead wanted to write Lucy and Gajeel beating his ass, etc. But… I have plans, and they must be followed. Even if it breaks my heart to do things like turning Gajeel against his Bunny.


	19. Arc 1: Listen

 

Lucy's heart was thudding loudly in her chest as he stalked toward her. This look was one she'd never seen before. Not even on the mission they'd taken. Not against those beasts they fought. It was reminiscent of the way he looked while losing control in bed, but it was different now. Terrifying. She'd never once been afraid of Gajeel, no matter how much she probably should have been in regards to self-preservation, but now… Now she was. This wasn't the face of the man she'd fallen in love with, or even of the crusty bastard she'd hated for months.

This was a monster. His face was a mask of pure hatred, the likes of which she'd never thought would be directed at her.  _'Was this what Levy and her team saw?'_ If that was the case, then Lucy actually felt bad for them. "G-Gajeel?" she stuttered as he came closer, his muscles tensed and rippling with rage and his teeth bared in a feral snarl. "What's-"

"Shut the fuck up," he growled, sending a foot out and landing a solid hit to her ribs. "You little cunt! You fucking lied. It was all a fucking lie!"

Lucy wheezed and rolled away when he moved to kick her again. She scrambled across the ground on her hands and knees, trying to push herself up and get to a safe distance. "Gajeel, what are you talking about?!" She cried out in pain when an iron pole knocked her to one side, crashing to the ground again. "I-I never lied to you!"

"BULLSHIT!" he roared. The scent of her blood soaking into her bandages drove him onward. His instincts were roaring so loudly in his head that he couldn't make out a single word that dragon was trying to say any longer. It's not like it mattered anyway. He knew the truth now, and there was nothing that would stop him from making the little bitch pay for what she'd done.

Lucy shrieked in terror as Gajeel pounced, and found the strength to move just before he crashed to the ground where she'd once been laying. She pulled out her whip, flicking it off to the side, and took several steps back to keep a safe distance from him. All of that training Gajeel had given her was the only thing that would keep her alive until she got him to calm down. She didn't understand what the hell was going on, but something was obviously wrong. Something had changed since he'd left her alone with Master Jose. She just had to find out what it was and make him see that she wasn't lying to him. "I don't wanna fight you, Gajeel. Just talk to me!"

"You wanna fucking talk?" he growled while standing to his feet. He rushed forward, throwing punches and kicks as quickly as possible. Lucy blocked and dodged, but he could see just how weakened she was from blood loss as her movements slowed and her limbs trembled. "You fucking betrayed me. Master told me  _everything_! How you were working with the Fairies this whole time! How you fucking  _used_ me!"

Her eyes widened and she ducked when a scale-covered fist went sailing through the air, only to grunt when she collided face-first with his knee. "Wh-What?" she rasped, spitting out the blood that was pooling in her mouth while she pushed herself up from the floor. "That's not true!"

"Isn't it?" he hissed. "You know fucking  _everything_  about those little shits. Everything you fucking did was to get close to me! Don't fucking lie! Makarov sent you!" He lunged for her again and roared when her whip wrapped around his arm, the spikes digging into his flesh as she tightened it. With a dark grin, he grabbed the leather cord and yanked, forcing her to fly through the air and right into his chest. "What's the matter? Didn't think a Black Widow could get caught?"

Lucy whimpered when he roughly grabbed her chin, his pointed teeth glinting maliciously and his crimson eyes burning with his anger. "Gajeel," she whispered. "Just calm down. Master lied to you. You know I wouldn't-"

"I don't know a fucking  _thing_  about you," he sneered. His grip around her waist and on her chin tightened. He could smell the fear pouring off of her, and it only fed into his fury. "Little slut… You made me think you cared. I was so fucking stupid for believing your bullshit. All because you opened your fucking legs. I shoulda known better!"

Ryos watched in horror as Lucy was thrown across the room again, his breath dying on a whimper when he heard more than saw her colliding with the wall. She still stood up though, her whip tightly gripped in her quivering grasp.

"I really do love you, Gajeel," Lucy said earnestly, feeling the first sting of tears in her eyes. She couldn't let them fall though. If her vision blurred, then it would open her up to an attack. She couldn't chance it. "I do! Y-You're the only that understands me. Just-"

Ryos whimpered again when Gajeel threw her to the ground. "No… Oh god, L-Lucy…" What the hell was Gajeel thinking?! He should know that Lucy wouldn't do something like that.  _'He shouldn't be able to do this to her! What's happening?'_  He watched, completely frozen in fear as Lucy tried to fend Gajeel off, each hit taking a more visible toll on her already battered body than the last. Even from the shadows, he could smell her blood. Her stitches had obviously come loose.

Lucy's keys were torn from her belt and thrown across the room, and Gajeel grinned as he stepped on her arm, making it so she couldn't lash at him with her whip again. "I was ordered to gain your trust," he spat, his voice laced with venom. He needed her to hurt. Lucy needed to feel the pain that she'd forced on him. "Whatever it took to get you to fuckin' trust me. You were just a job for me. And then you got under my skin… You made me… You made me love you…"

"I love you too, Gajeel!" she shouted. "I do! Please, stop this!" Her eyes widened as he dropped to the ground and straddled her stomach. Just high enough so she couldn't push him off of her. His hand wrapped around her throat, and the other captured her wrists in a bruising grip.

He leaned down, his heaving breaths punctuated with low growls. "You fucking betrayed me," he growled as she fought for air. "This is how it all started, remember? Before the mountains… After that fucking sunrise…" He pulled his hand from her throat, then sent a fist flying at her face. "I broke your nose…" Another hit. "And your cheek." A third hit. "I was right to fucking hate you…"

"G-Gajeel…" Lucy took a deep breath, still struggling to get her hands free from his grasp. "Y-You said it was my fault that you thought about your dragon. I just wanted to get to know you. I'm not working with Fairy Tail. I swear!"

"Lies!" he roared, throwing his free hand over her mouth. "Don't tell me anymore goddamn lies! I'm done hearing your bullshit! Master had me testing you this whole fucking time. And you actually pulled one over on me! I never should've trusted you…"

Lucy shook her head, whimpering in pain when his grip tightened. She couldn't understand why this was happening. Had her refusal to Jose really warranted this?  _'He said Master wanted him to gain my trust…'_ Did that mean that he'd been planning this all along? She'd just been a pawn in his scheme. She'd trusted Gajeel to protect her, and now… Now he was the one she needed to be afraid of. But there wasn't anything she could do to fight back. Gajeel was the one that had trained her, and he knew just what she was capable of. Just how to keep her from getting one up on him in the grapple.

"And now," Gajeel chuckled, running his tongue over his sharp, metallic teeth. "You like biting, don't you? You fucking  _loved_  it when I bit you before…"

Her eyes went wide as realization hit, the memory of their first sparring session where he was getting ready to teach her offensive maneuvers rearing it's head.

_Gajeel straddling her hips, her arms stretched to their limits and pinned to the ground. His metal teeth glinting in the sunlight. "Enemies don't let you rant. They go for the kill."_

Just like in her memory, Gajeel snarled and dove down, ready to tear her throat out. He wasn't going to stop this time though. He wasn't going to kiss her and tease her this time. He was really going to kill her…

Gajeel roared in pain as he was thrown across the room, and Lucy watched an odd swirling cone of darkness flying through the air just above her. She looked over to see that Gajeel had broken the stone stairs that led up to the balcony Jose had been standing on earlier with his heavy body crashing into it. Slowly, her eyes followed the wisping blackness back to its source, and she gasped when she was greeted with the sight of little Ryos' mouth hanging open as it cut off. His ruby eyes were burning brightly, his lips pulled back in a feral snarl, and his breaths were heavy. She never would have thought the young boy could look the way he did, but there was a spark in his eyes. Something she'd only seen in a handful of people. There was a fighter deep within him, something that could push him to great heights when the time came. Ryos might still have been weakened by not taking proper care of himself before, but she could almost feel the power leaking from the boy she'd taken as her brother.

"Leave my sister alone!" Ryos growled. He spent only another moment glaring at the rubble that Gajeel was buried under, then rushed over to help Lucy sit up. "Are you okay?" he whispered urgently.

"You…" Lucy said in shock, a slow smile spreading over her face. "Ryos, thank you." She'd never gotten to see his magic, with the exception of watching him eating shadows. But this… It was just like Gajeel's own roar. Beautiful, fearsome, magnificent. She'd never thought it would be so powerful though, and Lucy found her smile widening with pride. "That was amazing."

Ryos chuckled softly and shook his head. "We'll talk later," he whispered. "Gajeel won't be down for long, and we need to get you-"

The debris across the room began rumbling, then several large chunks flew away as Gajeel jumped to his feet. "I thought I told you to fuckin' stay put, brat!"

Ryos growled low in his throat as he felt his inner dragon roaring in anger. He knew he wouldn't be able to take Gajeel on, but he refused to let Lucy be hurt by him any longer. "And I thought you knew the rules," he sneered. "You should  _never_  have hurt her."

" _He pays with his life!"_  the shadow dragon within the young Slayer roared.  _"This is unacceptable!"_

"Ryos," Lucy whispered worriedly as the Shadow Slayer moved in front of her. She saw Gajeel taking several deep breaths, and she whimpered.

"Rules?" Gajeel chuckled. "I don't need to follow any goddamn rules, ya little shit."

"You bit her," Ryos whispered, just loud enough for Gajeel to pick it up. He watched Gajeel's body tense as his anger increased. The pain lancing through the older mage was visible, and he hoped that he could find a way to reason with him. "You were going to-"

"Shut up!" Gajeel bellowed. "It doesn't fucking matter! None of that bullshit fucking matters!"

"Doesn't it?" Ryos asked angrily. "You're trying to kill her..." His fists clenched at his sides, quaking with unbridled rage. "You're trying to take her away from me… I…" He fought against the tears welling in his eyes as he shouted, "I won't let you hurt my sister ever again!"

"You wanna fight me? Fine." A dark and wicked grin spread over Gajeel's face. "Lemme show you what a  _real_  Slayer can fucking do."

Ryos' eyes narrowed and he gathered the shadows around him, sucking them down as quickly as possible.

" _Iron Dragon's Roar!_ "

" _Shadow Dragon's Roar!_ "

Screeching metal whirled through the air and collided with the swirling shadows spewing from Ryos' mouth. Lucy pulled herself to her feet just as she saw Ryos' shadows being overtaken by Gajeel's own attack. He was too young to take the Iron Slayer on, too wet behind the ears. She knew this wasn't going to end well, especially when she saw just how badly Ryos' frail body was trembling. She couldn't let Gajeel hurt him. Not again. So, she did the only thing she could think of just before Ryos' magic cut off.

He felt two slender arms wrapping around him, and Ryos whimpered when his roar was completely overpowered by Gajeel's. His head was tucked into Lucy's chest, and all he could hear was the attack coming closer and closer before she let out a strangled cry of pain. "No!" he bellowed as they were catapulted through the air, wincing when dozens of bits of metal debris still cut into him, and all the breath rushing from him once they collided with the ground. The scent of Lucy's blood filled his lungs, and he discovered a new level of fear when he could hardly hear her breathing.

"Ryos," Lucy rasped. "Run…"

"No. L-Lucy, I won't leave you alone with him."

"You h-have to... Arggh!" Lucy screamed as an iron pole landed on the side of her ribs, knocking her away from the raven-haired youth.

Gajeel towered over Ryos with a sneer. "Stay the fuck outta this, brat." No fucking way was the little shit going to stop him from finishing this with Lucy. She'd gotten the boy wrapped around her finger even quicker than she had with Gajeel, and the kid didn't even know just what the hell she was doing. He was going to get his ass killed if he tried to protect the blonde. "Last fucking warning. She's not what you think."

"Sh-She is!" Ryos shouted. "Lucy's not what  _you_  think! Jose did this… H-He turned you against your-"

"She's  _nothing_  to me!" Gajeel roared, reaching down and wrapping his hand around the boy's throat. Without a moment's hesitation, he threw Ryos in the direction of the door then looked back at Lucy. "You hear that, ya little whore? You're fucking  _nothing_  to me. I know the goddamn truth now."

"No," Lucy wheezed. "You don't. You chose to listen to Jose, instead of believing me. I love you, Gajeel. That's never going to change."

"Drop the fucking act," he sneered.

"Just let me explain-"

"No!" Gajeel roared. He sent out a series of small knives toward the blonde, growling in agitation when they were swept to the side by Ryos' shadows. "I told you to stay the fuck outta this!"

"And I told  _you_  that I won't let you hurt her!" Ryos screamed. "She's the only family I've got!"

"She ain't," Gajeel sneered. "Just go the hell away. This is between me and the little bitch…"

"What, she's not your Bunny anymore?"

Lucy pushed Ryos out of the way when a barrage of knives was sent at him as Gajeel roared loudly. This wasn't working. Whatever Jose had done wasn't going to be fixed by the two Slayers having a shouting match. All this would accomplish would be Ryos getting hurt or killed. At least… If Ryos was somewhere safe… Lucy would have that small piece of mind while she tried to get Gajeel to calm down. He had stamina though. Tons of stamina. She couldn't hope he would tire out anytime soon. But maybe, just maybe, if he was fighting for long enough, his anger would diminish. Just enough for him to see reason.

"No," Gajeel spat. "She's worthless Fairy trash."

"Ryos, please," Lucy whispered as she laid panting on top of him. "Please, sweetie. You've gotta get out of here."

"Lucy, I-"

She gave him a pained smile. "I made you a promise earlier…"

Gajeel snarled when he saw Lucy pushing herself up. Except, she was ignoring him. Acting like he wasn't even fucking there, ready to kill the shit out of her.

" _That's because she's trying to save the boy, you dumb shit! This shouldn't even be happening!"_ his inner dragon roared.

" _Fuck off…"_ Still, he wasn't trying to kill the kid. Lucy was the one that caused all of this. It was her goddamn fault that everything in his life had turned to shit yet again. Ryos wasn't to blame for what happened. No matter how much he absolutely despised the blonde, he was going to make sure the kid had someone to turn to. Someone that  _actually_  understood him.  _'I won't let her hurt him… I love him too much…'_

It wasn't startling at all. He knew he cared about the kid, no matter how much he outwardly denied it. But it was true. He loved the younger Slayer. When he looked at Ryos, Gajeel saw himself. Ryos was just like him. Abandoned, left to fend for himself. He was a Slayer, and he needed training. Metallicana had taught him that dragons never give up on their own. Ryos was a Slayer just like him, and that meant he needed help. But first, Gajeel needed to get rid of the problem. The threat to the family he was going to build. Lucy didn't deserve to have the boy in her life. She lied to him just as she'd lied to Gajeel. She made Ryos think that she loved him, cared about him…  _'It's all a fucking lie…'_

The problem was, Ryos wouldn't fucking listen to him. He was too hung up on the blonde to see reason. Lucy though. She was trying to get the kid to go.  _'Probably just trying to keep up fucking appearances.'_ Well, if she wanted to play that game, then he would let her. It would get Ryos out of the way, off to safety. Then, Gajeel could end this bullshit with Lucy once and for all. He'd find Ryos again, help him see that she wasn't who they'd thought she was, and then they could work together. They could be a real family for one another.  _'Ryos won't leave me… He won't abandon me… He's gone through it. He knows how much it hurts. We'll be a family…'_

Ryos glanced over at Gajeel worriedly when he saw the older Slayer standing completely still with his arms crossed over his chest. "Lucy, no-"

"Make this shit quick, brat. Say your goodbyes and get the fuck out." Gajeel growled when Ryos glared at him. For dragons, there was an alpha. No way in hell was he going to let that shit slide once it was just him and the boy. "You're not the one I'm after. Just  _her_."

Lucy blinked in confusion for a moment, then decided that, if Gajeel was really going to give her a chance to get Ryos to safety, she needed to take advantage of it. Maybe it meant that Gajeel was coming to his senses a little. She had to hope that was the case. "Do you remember my promise, sweetie?" she whispered gently to the pale, trembling boy.

Ryos turned to look back at her and whimpered. Of course he remembered it. He would never forget a thing Lucy said to him. "You promised we'd always find each other…"

She nodded. "We'll bake a cake, start training…"

"Go on a mission…"

"All three of us," she continued.

"You'll teach me about the s-stars." His voice cracked as a sob bubbled up in his throat. She was saying goodbye to him all over again. Just like she had hours earlier. He couldn't let her do this again. It would shatter him completely. "A-And.. We'll…"

Lucy brought her hands to his cheeks, wiping away his tears that started pouring down his young face. "And we'll  _never_  be alone again. I  _promise_."

"L-Lucy, don't m-make me go… Please…"

She leaned forward and tenderly kissed his forehead, then the tip of his nose. "I need to know you're safe, Ryos. He's letting you go."

"And don't try that shadow bullshit," Gajeel added suspiciously. "I'll kill the both of you if you even think about it."

Ryos whimpered and threw his arms around her. "I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much, big sis."

She let out a sad laugh. "I love you too, my little Rogue," she whispered back. "Now go on. Find a safe spot, and I'll come find you in a little while, okay?"

"Swear?"

She nodded, kissing his inky black hair. "I swear. I'm not going anywhere this time."

Ryos pulled back slightly, lifting his conflicted crimson gaze to her face. Lucy was already so beaten up that he wasn't sure what she thought she could do to make Gajeel see reason. When she brushed his hair from his face, he leaned into her bandaged, bloodied hand, then pressed a small kiss to her cheek. "I'll see you s-soon?" he whimpered.

"Soon," she nodded.

Gajeel watched carefully as Ryos and Lucy stood up. They shared one final hug before the kid turned and bolted, tears streaming down his cheeks and flying through the air behind him. Lucy was the reason for all of this bullshit. All of their pain. She'd gotten to them, right under their fucking skin. She'd wheedled her way into their hearts to make sure she was protected. And it would have worked too, if Jose wasn't so perceptive. Gajeel had been ready to tear their guild master to shreds for talking about Lucy the way he had been. It was a good thing he'd listened before he got himself killed for the lying little bitch.

Lucy took a shaky breath as the door to the room closed behind Ryos. Her whip was still gripped tightly in her hand, and her fists clenched as she turned to look at Gajeel again. She had to put her feelings in perspective. Push away her hopes and just face reality. Gajeel was trying to kill her. The man she loved more than anything in the world, the one that she could have seen herself spending the rest of her life with, had believed their guild master's lies instead of believing in her. It seemed like he hadn't even questioned it. Pain lanced through her heart at that thought. Had she really meant so little to him that his faith in her faltered at the drop of a hat?

Gajeel grinned when Lucy crouched into a defensive stance. "Oh, so now you're gonna play?" he chuckled.

"This isn't a game to me," Lucy shot back. A deep scowl settled on her face while she shook her head. She needed to focus on the pain. It was the only way she could last long enough. There would be some serious hell to pay for what was happening.  _'Get your head in this, Lucy. You're a Phantom, so fucking act like one!'_

"Isn't it?" he snarled while sending his arm out in an iron pole to knock her off of her feet. When Lucy jumped and rolled over it, then lashed out with her whip, he continued. "You've been playing me this whole fucking time. I saw the proof."

"What proof?" she asked, dodging attack after attack. She figured maybe the only way to get him to tell her just what had happened was to do it while fighting. Yes, it would tire her out a little faster, but what was the point in not trying? She had to try...

* * *

Hot tears ran down his young, pale face, mixing with blood, sweat, and dirt. He had to do something, but what it was  _he_  could possibly accomplish, he wasn't quite sure. Every step he took made him feel as though he was going to pass out from the pain, but Ryos' inner dragon was pushing him forward.

" _Into the shadows, Ryos,"_  it growled.  _"It will put less strain on your body."_

He nodded and jumped into the nearest shadow, then sighed in relief as he zipped down the halls. He just couldn't understand what had come over Gajeel. He and Lucy fought each other from time to time at the guild, but never like this. Ryos had never seen the Iron Slayer so intent on killing the blonde. He wouldn't let her get up for long, and when she did… When she did, it was only long enough to get thrown across the room again.

Ryos hadn't wanted to leave though. She'd forced him to go, to find safety somewhere else in the building. Somehow, she thought that she would be able to get Gajeel to calm down and talk to her. And Gajeel had let it happen

" _He was protecting you…"_ the dragon within said solemnly.

' _But why?'_  he wondered. Why was Gajeel so ready to kill Lucy, but  _he_  was allowed to leave? He'd protected the blonde repeatedly back there, and Gajeel only attacked him when he interfered.  _'What the hell happened to him?!'_

" _It was Jose,"_  his inner dragon hissed.  _"That bastard did this."_

Ryos wanted to find the guild master and ask why he would do something like this. Why would he turn Gajeel against Lucy? Was it because she wouldn't do what he wanted? Because she had refused to ruin her father, even though he was the reason Fairy Tail was trying to take her away?

That was when he froze. "Fairy Tail!" he gasped. "Th-They can help her, right?"

" _..."_

"Right?! P-Please… Tell me…" He could see the dragon thinking, that image of his father sitting in the large field just before dawn with shadows wisping around his large black body. "Please, Skiadrum… Please… I've g-gotta help her…"

" _It is possible,"_  the dragon sighed.  _"They might still try to take her from you…"_

"N-No! I won't let them!"

" _However,"_ it continued,  _"That is a risk you must take. Go. Find them, and ask for help. But be wary, boy. We can't trust them just yet."_

Ryos nodded. That was something he could do. All he had to do was find someone from Fairy Tail. Someone that was strong, and could get Gajeel away from Lucy. Someone that could distract him long enough so the young Slayer could get her to safety.

A scent caught his attention, and Ryos quickly rounded the next corner. It wasn't one he could place to anyone in the guild, but it was familiar. It had been on Lucy when they were all lying in the infirmary, faint but still there. She mostly smelled like Gajeel, but he was sure that was because the older Slayer had wanted to make sure she didn't smell like anyone else.  _Why_  there had been another scent on her in the first place, he wasn't sure. Maybe someone had been holding her while they took her to Magnolia. That had to be it, because he knew that Lucy loved Gajeel too much for anything else to be the case.

* * *

Gajeel growled as she dodged a kick to the head, then jumped back when she lashed out with her whip.  _'Damn Jose, making me train her,'_  he thought when he felt the leather snap against his flesh. _'Now, she's actually capable of doing some fucking damage.'_ But, the fact of the matter was, she was still lying to him. He just wanted Lucy to admit it, before he killed her. "Master got pictures of you," he snarled while they continued trading blows, "On yer mission. All those rendezvous with your little Fairy friends."

"What are you talking about?!" she screeched. "I told you about every single one that I met and talked to. And everything that was said!"

"Sure," he spat. "But ya left out crawling all over that fucking Salamander on the roof! You were fucking him weren't you… Then you called my ass and pretended you fuckin' needed me!" He stalked closer as Lucy shakily pulled herself to her feet. "You betrayed me…"

"I-I didn't," Lucy wheezed, grunting when a fist collided with her ribs. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Because I know the fucking truth now." He roared in pain when her whip slashed across his chest, then shifted his hand into metal and backhanded her across the room. The anguished cry she let out had him grinning in satisfaction. At least, it started out that way until he saw that she wasn't standing up any longer.

" _No,"_  his inner dragon whimpered.  _"Don't tell me you actually killed her… Gajeel, what have you done?!"_

" _What I fucking needed to…"_  He had to ignore the pain in his heart when he saw her twitch slightly, how she was barely moving, but obviously still trying to stand up even though there was no point in fighting back. He'd been the one to do this to her, and he was supposed to be happy that she was hurting. But...

A part of him still loved her. It had to be that stupid fucking dragon in his head. The thing was always fucking things up where the blonde was concerned. She wasn't supposed to mean anything to him anymore. Lucy had used him. She was going to abandon him. He'd fallen head over fucking heels for her - from her spitfire attitude to her sexy little body, her huge heart to the way she stood up to him to how she viewed the world. Gajeel had never let himself get close to anyone, but he'd let her in. He'd put his trust in her to take care of him. He had actually let himself believe that Lucy cared about someone like him. It was all a fucking lie though.

He hissed when it felt like someone poured acid on his shoulder, his eyes clenching tightly against the sudden heat and pain.

_*.*_

_Her blonde hair was fanned out across the mat they were sleeping on, the sunlight barely peeking through the tent over their heads. He couldn't help but watch her. Lucy's face was relaxed, so different from how she looked nine times out of ten. She wasn't scowling or screaming or bitching, just… Peaceful._

_He could feel her bare flesh against his, her perfect breasts and her soft, silky skin. Her slender arm was wrapped loosely around his waist while he laid next to her, his head propped on his hand. His free hand slowly glided over her bare back from where he'd been drawing lazy circles, and his fingers threaded through her hair. Long, slow strokes from the roots to the ends. He'd never allowed himself to do something like this before. Maybe it was because he could see the week old bite on her shoulder, but there was something different about her now._

_There was something different about everything. He refused to think too much about it, and instead just let himself enjoy this small moment of peace. The little slice of serenity that he was desperate to hold onto._

_She sighed, then stretched, but he didn't move. He didn't stop running his fingers through her golden tresses. And he was rewarded with the sight of her tired smile, her sleepy doe eyes peeking open to look up at him. He was drawn right into them, just like he always was - but he would never admit that._

" _Mmm," Lucy hummed, snuggling closer to the bare, muscular chest she was pressed against._

" _Mornin', little Bunny," he whispered._

_She laughed softly. "I wanna wake up with you all the time, Black Steel…"_

" _Yeah? Why's that?"_

_A light blush dusted her cheeks while she playfully nipped at his chest. Her hand smoothed over his spine, sending a wave of contentment through him. Her eyes slid closed again, her breathing growing more even, though her smile never left. "So… perfect…" she mumbled before falling asleep again._

_*.*_

No. This was some grade-A bullshit. He didn't need to think about shit like that. Gajeel had his orders. Lucy was a spy, and now he had to handle this once and for all. She'd used whatever she could to her advantage, gained  _his_  trust. She turned the fucking tables on him, and broke his goddamn heart. He never should have let her close enough to do it in the first place, but he was a fucking idiot. She never cared about him. It was just sex for Lucy. That's all it ever had been…

_*.*_

_They walked through the mountains, taking it slow since Lucy had just finished running for three miles up the side of one mountain, then screaming her face off while he chased her back down after she punched him in the ribs. Lucy pushed a branch to the side, then held it for Gajeel to walk past her._

_She rushed to catch up with him, and he looked down out of the corner of his eye when he felt her slender fingers hesitantly dancing along the palm of his fingerless glove. Those little digits slid between his own much larger ones, then curled around his hand._

_Neither said a word as they continued walking hand in hand, and after several long minutes, he pulled away from her grasp. He smirked and draped his arm over her shoulders, pulling her into his side. Her heart started beating just a little faster, and her breath stuttered, but she still laid her head on his chest as though it wasn't the first time they'd ever done something like this._

_He looked down at her a moment later, and for once didn't try to hide the smile that wanted to creep across his face when he saw the blush on her cheeks. The happiness shining in her eyes while she watched where they were going. 'She's so fucking beautiful…' he thought, listening to his inner dragon purr contentedly._

_*.*_

Lucy frowned when she lifted her head and saw Gajeel standing completely still with his hands on his head. He was panting heavily, much more than she would have thought for the fight they were having. "G-Gajeel, are you okay?" Even though he'd been hurting her, fighting her with more ferocity than she had ever known possible, trying to kill her… Lucy wanted to believe that she would get her Dragon back. She wanted Gajeel to come back to her. It hurt more than she could have imagined, thinking that this was how things would end between them. But, this couldn't be it. She needed him…

" _Listen to what she has to say,"_ Gajeel's inner dragon pleaded, its low, gravelly voice desperate.  _"For fuck's sake, just listen to her! Listen to your goddamn mate for once, instead of just doing whatever the fuck you want! Get your head outta your ass for half a fucking second, and give her a chance to explain some shit! Taking that bastard's word over hers. Sorry excuse for a Slayer, is what you fucking are…"_

Gajeel's grip on his head tightened while heat poured through him in thick, sickening waves. He was burning up, and all he wanted to do was up-fucking-chuck everywhere.  _'She did this to me… Something's wrong… What the fuck is…'_

"Gajeel?"

" _Listen to her! Trust her! Please, Gajeel. Just fucking trust her to take care of you. Trust her! Please!"_

He couldn't… He couldn't trust Lucy anymore. He never should have in the first place. She needed to pay for what she'd done to him. No one was supposed to be able to hurt him this way, but it had happened. It was all a fucking lie...

_*.*_

_His hands smoothed over her back, slowly kneading the soft, oiled flesh while she laid on her bed. Down to the small of her back, up to her shoulders, less pressure when he reached her neck so he didn't hurt her. He listened to her humming in approval, again and again, and lightly nibbled his lower lip while looking across the apartment to see the blueprints for Fairy Tail scattered across the floor._

" _We really should get back to that," she whispered lazily, a gentle smile clear in her voice. "You keep getting distracted."_

" _You're pretty distracting, Bunny," he chuckled._

" _Mmm… Well, I tried to put my clothes on, but you tackled me to the floor and started fucking me into the next country."_

" _Can't help it." He smirked when she turned her head to the side and peeked over her shoulder at him. "Sexy little Bunny drives me fuckin' batty."_

" _I don't mean to," she giggled. She moaned softly when he found a large knot in her back and started to massage it._

" _Feels good, Bunny?" he whispered._

" _Mm-hmm," she answered, her smile widening as her eyes locked onto his. "You're such a sweetheart sometimes."_

" _Me?" he chuckled. "Nah. Just taking good care of my Bunny."_

_She giggled and rolled onto her back, with him still straddling her. "Well, I love it when my Dragon takes care of me."_

" _Yeah?" he whispered, pausing to lace his fingers with hers and his gaze unwavering as he looked into her chocolate eyes._

_She nodded. "I love you, Gajeel."_

_His eyes softened as he leaned down and pressed his lips to her cheek. "Love you too, little Bunny," he replied, not even trying to hide just how easily she could make him purr._

_*.*_

" _What about you?" he asked as she laid on his chest. "What do you want more than anything else?"_

" _To be accepted for who I am…" she whispered sadly._

" _What do you mean?"_

" _... I was locked up for a long time… I couldn't be myself when I lived at home… Find a place where someone would accept me… Flaws and all…"_

_*.*_

" _Aww, grumpy Bunny," he teased. "I'll help you."_

" _Black Steel Gajeel is fucking precious when he's like this!" she mumbled to herself._

" _You're pretty precious yourself, Bunny," he whispered with a wink. "Man, she's beautiful."_

" _You don't look too bad yourself… Even better when you blush!"_

" _Come on, Bunny. Time for a bath."_

_She giggled when he picked her up. "No!" she shouted, wriggling around and kicking her legs in feigned fright. "Anything but water! Gajeel, it's my only weakness!"_

" _No worries," he whispered, kissing her cheek. "I'll keep my little Bunny safe."_

" _So, I'm your little Bunny?" she asked while he started washing her legs off._

" _Yeah," he answered with a smirk. "You're always gonna be my Bunny."_

" _Always always?" she asked. "You'll never have another Bunny?"_

" _Nope. Just you… Don't you wanna be my Bunny?"_

_Lucy blushed and nodded. "Always always… So, will you be my Dragon, Gajeel?" she asked wistfully._

" _Always Always, Bunny!" he shouted with a wide grin._

_*.*_

_He watched as she dropped her towel to the bank just beside the pond, her lightly tanned flesh nearly glowing in the setting sun. Slow steps into the water, her hair tied up for the time being while she washed away the sweat and dirt from their training that day. She turned back toward him when she was waist deep._

" _Are you coming or not?" she asked, laughing softly._

_He chuckled. "Maybe. Open yer legs and we'll see."_

_She laughed louder, splashing water at him as he walked into the pond to join her. She squeaked when she was pulled into his bare chest. "Can I help you?" she asked breathily._

_He smirked down at her. "I think you can, Bunny… I think you can…"_

_Her smile was sweet as honey just before their lips met, her eyes sliding closed long before his._

_*.*_

Gajeel whimpered softly as memory after memory shot through him, ricocheting through his synapses and burning permanent images - her soft smile, the depth of emotion in her eyes, her smaller body pressed against him, curling around him - into his retinas. There was no way he could stop it. Nothing he could do to get rid of the barrage of happy times with the blonde. Times they had shared where she'd made him feel like the luckiest bastard in the world.

He loved her with all of his crusty little lead-filled heart. Every bit of it had belonged to Lucy. He knew who she was, and that she wouldn't do something like this to him. He had to believe that she wasn't the person Jose said she was. ' _I've gotta… Talk to her… This has to stop…'_

" _Fucking FINALLY!"_ the dragon roared.  _"Fuck, you're retarded. I've only been telling you this whole goddamn time!"_

"B-Bunny…" Gajeel whimpered again. Why was he doing this shit again? Why was he hurting her? He shouldn't be hurting her. Metallicana taught him that much - you never hurt your mate. He could smell her blood everywhere. On the ground, some debris here and there, and on his clothes. It wasn't even dried blood at this point. With what he'd done to her, it was coating the both of them.  _'How did it come to this? I wouldn't hurt my-'_

Gajeel's crimson eyes snapped open when he felt small, damp fingers brushing lightly over his cheek. Blonde hair, bloody bandages covering her body, a split lip, bruising cheek, swollen eye socket… He'd done this to her. Everything Jose had told him came crashing back through him, drowning out the enraged roar of his instincts and sending one of his own hurtling past his lips. He couldn't stop himself from seeing only red by that point. She was to blame. She was the reason his heart had been torn from his chest. Lucy was going to leave him, and there was nothing he could do to stop her, because…

' _Because she never fucking loved me!'_

Lucy screamed in terror as she was lifted and thrown across the room one final time. Her body hit the wall with a sickening crunch, all the breath rushing from her lungs as pain shot across her ribs and down her spine. Right down to her toes.

Gajeel cackled wildly as Lucy slid down to the floor, shifting his arm into an iron pillar and slamming it into her stomach, and watching as she coughed up a mouthful of blood. As he pulled the pillar back to himself, the Iron Slayer snarled. "You've gotta sing better than  _that_ …" He grinned when Lucy let out a pathetic whimper while she laid limp on the ground.

She was hefted into the air and her arms were pulled away from her body, then quickly pinned to the stone wall behind her. Thick iron bars were placed over her wrists and nailed to the wall, keeping her suspended several feet up in the air. She couldn't find it in herself to fight back though. Not anymore. She'd thought he was coming back to her. With the way he'd been whispering to himself, how she'd been able to hear the desperation an confusion in his voice... He was coming back to her, and then suddenly... It was all gone. She had been so damn  _close_... And now... Now, Gajeel wasn't himself. He was insane. Terrifying.

"Too bad… Your heart's just not in it…"

"Fuck, you're dumb," she said with a sneer when he backed away to look her over. "I can barely believe it… It's just… F-Fucking sad… I actually feel sorry for you."

His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched at his sides. "Oh?" he hissed. "And why's that? Ready to come clean?"

She reached deep within herself and found all of her determination and resolve. Everything that made up the proud woman that she was. "You don't scare me, Black Steel," she spat. "I told you the… truth… and you chose… Jose over me…"

Gajeel snarled wildly. "You shouldn't have said that…" He made several throwing knives and threw them at her, intentionally missing each time. "You've got some fuckin' nerve. Runnin' yer goddamn mouth." He chuckled when two knives nicked the outside of her thigh, adding to the streams of blood that were slowly creeping down her body from her torn stitches. "Make some fuckin' noise!" he bellowed. "Keep the shit talking to yourself. I wanna hear you  _scream_ , and if I don't start gettin' what I want…"

Lucy bit her lips and shook her head. Her Gajeel was gone. She was never getting him back, and she knew it for sure now. That knowledge threatened to overwhelm her completely, pushing the tears she'd been keeping under higher and higher. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry though. She refused to break...

"... You're gonna be sorry," he hissed.

"Then why don't you… Just go ahead and do it?" she whispered, watching as his eyes flashed with surprise. "F-Finish… me… Then  _you're_  gonna be… sorry… J-Just you w-wait…"

His instincts were roaring so loudly in his head that he hardly heard her, but he was still able to make out what Lucy was saying between wheezing breaths. "Yeah?" he chuckled darkly, ignoring the pain that shot through his heart when she nodded furiously. "Who's gonna make me? I'm curious…"

Lucy stayed completely still, watching and waiting for him to just finish her off. A larger knife than before was held in his hand, and she suppressed the urge to cringe away from the glinting light on the blade as he flipped it in his hand once.

" _Gajeel!"_  the dragon within shouted desperately.  _"No! Don't… Don't fucking do it! She's your mate! Don't fuckin' kill her!"_

Her eyes stayed locked on his, defiance burning in their honey depths when the knife went sailing toward her chest.

' _She ripped out my heart,'_  he thought angrily.  _'Now I'll take hers…'_

Lucy felt panic trying to rise in her as the knife drew nearer and nearer. But only one thing was on her mind…  _'I love you, Gajeel… I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop you…'_

* * *

He could smell burning wood and apples. And a cat. Well, something like a cat. He paused when he saw a pink-haired teen running down the hall with a blue cat sitting on his shoulder.

"Natsu, are you sure Erza's gonna be okay against that Jose guy?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, Happy," Natsu said with a scowl. "She told us to find Lucy, so that's what we'll do."

Ryos' eyes went wide at that. Of course they had sent mages inside to collect Lucy. He just had to point this Natsu person in the right direction. They could stop Gajeel, and then he could get her away while Natsu was dealing with the lunatic bastard that was hurting her. He jumped out of the shadows as Natsu ran past him and turned down the hall, going in the wrong direction. "Wait!" Ryos shouted, rushing off after him.

Natsu growled and whirled around, crouching down and going into a defensive stance. He hadn't been expecting to see some kid half-running, half-limping toward him. Deep crimson eyes were pleading as the boy drew closer. He was dirty, covered in scrapes and cuts with little streams of blood flowing from them. His clothes were torn in places, and the way he was holding his ribs - along with the thundering of his heart and the shallow, wheezing breaths he was taking - let Natsu know that, whatever had happened to him, it wasn't pleasant. "What are you doing here, kid? Get out of here!"

"W-Wait…" Ryos rasped as Natsu went to continue running. "P-Please… You've gotta… help her…"

Natsu froze. "Help who?"

Ryos took a deep breath, then frowned.  _'_ _That smell…'_  He knew that whoever this mage was, he was part of Fairy Tail. Aside from not recognizing him as a member of Phantom Lord, there was the very obvious red guild mark on his shoulder. But the smell…

" _He's a Dragon Slayer, Ryos."_

He could see his inner dragon's surprise at seeing the pink-haired Slayer, but he couldn't understand why. And he only grew more confused when the dragon within started smiling. "Y-You've gotta help," he wheezed. "P-Please… He's gonna kill her!"

"Who?!" Natsu shouted.

"Natsu," Happy said worriedly when he saw the Phantom Lord guild mark on the boy's forearm. "He's one of them… This could be a trap."

Natsu's eyes hardened.

"L-Lucy," Ryos cried. He didn't care that tears had continued pouring down his face. Gajeel was hurting her, and there wasn't anything he could do to stop it. He'd tried so hard to keep her safe, but he wasn't fast enough to pull her with him into the shadows. He hadn't had enough time to pull in more shadows to do it. He ran away when she told him to, even though he felt like he should have stayed. She could already be dead… "G-Gajeel's trying to k-kill her, and… And I c-couldn't stop him... She told me to r-run and…" He hiccuped while wrapping his arms around his aching ribs. "Please… I don't want her to get h-hurt anymore!"

"Gajeel," Natsu said, his brow furrowing in confusion. He'd seen the bite on Lucy's shoulder while she was lying on top of him back in Phantom's guild. He knew what that meant, that Gajeel had intended to make her his mate. So why would he be trying to kill her? That just didn't make any sense. No matter how pissed a Slayer, or dragon for that matter, got… They wouldn't attack their mate. Ever. "Why would he do that?"

"J-Jose did something to him," Ryos whimpered. "He messed with his head…"

"But he bit her," Natsu whispered to himself. Nothing should have been able to make Gajeel turn on the person he was going to make his mate. Nothing!

"He was gonna ask her tonight," Ryos said. "After we got back… He was gonna ask her to make it official… But, Jose did something. I-I don't know what, but Gajeel's hurting her. H-He got her keys, and he's saying she was working with you guys…"

Natsu went rigid at that. Working with them? With Fairy Tail? "We didn't meet her before today though. Why would he think that?"

"I don't know!" Ryos shouted, whimpering when the force of his yell caused his ribs to screech in agony. "I-I don't know, but he's… She… Lucy's bleeding so much and… A-And…"

Natsu closed the distance between himself and the boy when he started swaying. His warm arms wrapped around the slender frame, and he felt just how much the kid was shaking while he broke down.

"Natsu," Happy said worriedly. "We've gotta find Lucy… If he's telling the truth…"

"I know, little buddy," Natsu whispered. He turned his attention back to the raven-haired boy, and took a deep breath. And that was when he smelled it. Metal and cinnamon. And cake. "You  _are_ telling the truth," he said incredulously. "I can smell them on you."

Ryos nodded. "I t-tried to help her… But I'm not s-strong enough. I-I just wanted to get her outta there… B-But I-"

Natsu smiled and shook his head. "It's alright, kid," he said softly. "You lead the way, and I'll stop him."

"You will?" Ryos asked, his eyes wide and hopeful.

"Yeah," Natsu chuckled. "I'm trying to find her anyway. You know the way?"

Ryos nodded again, sighing when he was set back on his feet. "It's this way," he said shakily.

" _Don't let him see your magic,"_ Ryos' dragon whispered.  _"If we can't trust him, then it will be good that he doesn't know."_

" _Why can't we trust him? He wants to help her."_

" _He's also planning on taking her away from you. Save your strength. You might need it to get her to safety."_

Ryos rounded another corner with Natsu running right next to him. "You're not gonna take her away, are you?" he asked.

Natsu glanced at the boy. "Well, her old man hired us to take her back home. He said you guys kidnapped her."

Ryos scowled, barely suppressing a growl. "No, she joined the guild months ago," he said angrily. "She ran away from home, because he's… Her father's a bad man…"

"Bad?" Happy asked curiously.

Ryos nodded. "He doesn't want her to be happy. And he wants to take her magic away for good. She wants to stay with us… She told me herself. Lucy doesn't want to go back there ever again."

"That's what Lucy was saying," Happy mused, frowning as he looked at his foster father's face. "Natsu, are we really gonna make her go back there?"

"I dunno, Happy," Natsu sighed. "Let's just make sure she's alive fir-"

The two mages froze when they distinctly heard an enraged roar from the floor above them. There were several thundering booms that sounded out, then silence.

"L-Lucy's..." Ryos whimpered. "We've gotta hurry!"

Natsu glared at the ceiling, a feral snarl pulling at his lips. "Happy, stay with the kid. I'll see you up there."

"What are you gonna do?" Ryos asked. He gasped and took a step back as Happy sprouted wings and flew over to him just when Natsu's body was ignited. Scorching flames licked across the pink-haired mage's skin, and Ryos' eyes widened even further when he saw what he could only describe as a fearsome dragon lurking within the fire.

"Go!" Natsu shouted. "I'll save her."

"Come on," Happy whispered to the boy.

Ryos watched in awe as Natsu crouched down, the magic surrounding him growing in intensity as the seconds ticked by. The heat increased, pulling every bit of moisture from the air and making his mouth run dry. A large crater was left in the floor as Natsu vaulted into the air, one flaming fist extended while he catapulted himself toward the ceiling.

A violent, terrifying roar ripped through the air as the ceiling exploded, and Ryos found himself being pulled in the direction they'd previously been running by Happy while Natsu disappeared to the floor above. As they ran, he could hear the voices slowly fading, and hoped that he would be there fast enough to help her… And that they weren't too late to save her.

" _So, I was right… I knew I smelled him here."_

Ryos sneered when he heard Gajeel's rumbling voice.

" _It's Natsu!"_

His heart leapt into his throat with glee when he heard her. His sister was safe. She was still alive! Gajeel hadn't killed Lucy, but he could hear the tears and pain in her voice. It only served to push him further.

" _Gajeel!"_

Natsu's roar echoed through the halls and faded as Ryos rushed up the flight of stairs that would lead to the floor above. He forced his legs to move faster, and completely forgot about the pain he was in. Natsu was there now, and he would be able to stop Gajeel, but Lucy needed her little brother… and he wasn't going to let her down. Ryos was never going to let Lucy down again.

' _I'll keep you safe, Lucy,'_  he thought as the door to the room the three older mages were in came into view.  _'I won't let him hurt you ever again. I swear!'_

 

 


	20. Arc 1: The Dragons Within

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides with the events of Episode 27 (The Two Dragon Slayers).

 

Lucy squinted when the blazing inferno that surrounded the Fire Dragon Slayer of Fairy Tail threatened to scorch her from where he stood protectively in front of her. The knife that Gajeel had thrown, the one that was meant to kill her, clinked uselessly on the ground. She still couldn't believe that he had shown up with such impeccable timing, or that someone from Fairy Tail would even be willing to help her.  _'Does he just want to take me back to the Konzern?'_ she wondered.  _'Does it even matter anymore…?'_

Of course she was relieved that there had been someone to show up and save her. No matter how tattered her heart was over what Gajeel did to her, she didn't want to die. She didn't want to leave Ryos behind. She had nearly given up on everything, had even taunted Gajeel and openly  _told_  him to kill her.  _'I don't want to leave Ryos alone. He needs me.'_

Gajeel chuckled darkly as he locked eyes with the pink-haired mage. The fucker might have reeked of sweat and fighting, but he could swear he still smelled Lucy on the guy. And that only served to piss him off more. Mainly because it shouldn't have mattered in the slightest, but it did. "It's so easy to lure you out, Salamander," he taunted. It only served to prove that Lucy really belonged to Natsu all along.

"That's 'cause you keep playin' dirty," Natsu shot back. Just as he was about to lunge forward, he heard the door to the room open and close quickly. Luckily, it didn't seem that Gajeel even noticed. Apparently, the Iron Slayer was solely focused on taking him down.

Lucy's breath caught in her throat when the two Slayers lunged for each other, an iron pillar shooting out from Gajeel's arm and right at Natsu. She knew from experience just how hard those were, how heavy a toll they took with just a single hit. Still, Natsu caught it with his fists aflame, and swung Gajeel in a wide circle before throwing him into a wall.

Ryos took in the scene with wide eyes, hearing Happy gasp as the cat floated up by his shoulder. He had always wanted to see what it would look like, Gajeel fighting against another Dragon Slayer, and while he now had the chance, the blonde that was shackled directly to the wall needed his help. "Lucy," he whimpered, rushing forward through the flying debris and stumbling every few steps as the ground rumbled from the force of the two other Slayers' blows.

"What did he do to her?" Happy whispered worriedly.

Ryos growled and paused in his step to pick up the key ring that he saw peeking out of a small pile of rubble, where the couch Lucy had been sitting on earlier used to be. "I knew I shouldn't have left." The pair finally got over to Lucy, and Ryos glared at the shackles that bound her wrists.

"Lushy," Happy said, concern lacing his voice as he floated up to her eye level. "Are you okay?"

"H-Happy?" she whispered with wide eyes. After a moment, she looked down and let out a soft sob when she saw the tormented red eyes and midnight black hair of her little brother. "Ryos… I told you to hide."

He shook his head angrily, then reached up and sent out small tendrils of wisping shadows to wrap around the iron shackles. There was nothing he could do if he tried to pull them off with his bare hands, but his inner dragon kept whispering that the shadows could help. They wove around and around the iron, then squeezed.

Lucy gasped and shivered as the sudden chill from the shadows leaking from Ryos' hands wracked her battered body, but within moments, she was falling into a heap on the ground. Instantly, the chill was gone and replaced by thin arms wrapping around her. "Ryos."

"I found Natsu on my way to the infirmary," he whispered while brushing her hair from her eyes and shifting so he was cradling the blonde in his arms. "They were already looking for you, but… I-I just wanted someone to help you, so I led them here."

Happy watched curiously as a warm, loving smile spread across Lucy's face and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Had they really been trying to take her away from the place she cared about? Looking at the pair of Phantom mages, they seemed to be thick as thieves.  _'Was he the kid Lucy said that Gray attacked?'_

"I don't know if they're still going to try and take you away, but…" Ryos paused and sniffled while nestling his nose in her hair. "I-I won't let them take you away from me. Gajeel might be too stupid to see it, but… I still love you, Lucy."

' _He loves her?'_  Happy thought curiously.

"I love you too, sweetie," Lucy whispered back with a smile. "Thanks for saving me." No matter how badly she had wanted Ryos to stay away from the fighting, or how upset she might have been that he'd brought Fairies right to where she was at when she was trying to stay away from them, she was still happy that he was there. With her. Gajeel wasn't going to attack Ryos while he was otherwise occupied with Natsu.

"We should get out of here," Ryos said softly.

Lucy turned to look at the fight, and let out a shaky breath. She still loved Gajeel, even if he didn't believe her.

"Yer sure actin' uppity, ya little shit," Gajeel sneered.

"Same to you!" Natsu roared. "You beat Lucy up… So, I'm gonna melt that face of yours and turn it into iron filings."

Lucy's breath caught in her throat at that. "Why would he care?" she whispered to herself.

"Because," Happy said as the two started trading blows again, "Natsu cares about everyone. From what the kid here was saying before, and what you said at the guild, Natsu probably thinks the best thing to do is save you and make sure you're okay… Then figure everything else out later."

"I don't want to go back," Lucy said.

"Well," Happy sighed as he looked back at Lucy, "Maybe after all of this is done, you can just talk to Master Makarov. Tell him what you told everyone else, and he'll understand… Master's smart. He'll believe you…"

She shook her head with a sigh, then her eyes flashed with concern when she heard the telltale shifting of metal from Gajeel. "No… Not his scales…"

"What the hell is that?!" Happy shrieked.

"Iron Dragon's Scales," Lucy said worriedly. "They increase his attacking power, and triple his defense. Those things are impenetrable…"

"Wow," Ryos whispered in wonder. "I never got to see them…"

Lucy chuckled sadly. "He used to use them all the time while we were training," she said, not noticing how Happy turned to stare at her in wonder. "He said he didn't want my whip cutting him up for no reason if I was lucky enough to get a hit in on him."

"T-Training?" Happy gulped.

When Lucy's eyes closed from sheer exhaustion, Ryos nodded and ran his fingers through the ends of her sweaty, matted hair. "Yeah. Gajeel trained her. For the past month or so, actually…"

"And you survived?!"

Lucy laughed softly. "I did…" Thinking about the time they had spent training also brought back the memories of everything that had happened between them. The night in the mountains where they'd kissed, how he'd bandaged her up, the mission they took together and how he'd held her. The bar they had gone to before returning to the mountains. All the times they fought with each other over something stupid. The lake, behind that waterfall. Looking at the stars, cuddling up together in the tent after they were both panting and wracked with pleasured tremors. The secretive looks she knew he was casting her even when he thought she wasn't looking.  _'He said he loved me…'_

Nothing was the same now though. Now, it was all tinged in sadness and doubt. If Gajeel loved her, then why would he have done this? Why wouldn't he believe her word over Jose's? She had questioned it earlier, sure, but the blonde really hadn't had the time to mull things over. Technically, she really didn't then, either. Still, as she watched Natsu and Gajeel send out roars at one another, one of fire and one of shrieking metal, Lucy couldn't help but wonder just what it was that had given him so little faith in their bond.

_"You fucking betrayed me. Master told me everything! How you were working with the Fairies this whole time! How you fucking used me!"_

His words from before cut her to the quick, causing a deep slash of pain to lance right through her heart. Jose had been the one to turn Gajeel against her, she knew that already. But he'd believed so quickly, so easily. Maybe she'd really just been fighting for nothing, after all.

_"You know fucking everything about those little shits. Everything you fucking did was to get close to me! Don't fucking lie! Makarov sent you! What's the matter? Didn't think a Black Widow could get caught?"_

A Black Widow. That's what he'd called her. No matter what Lucy had said, no matter how hard she had tried to make him see reason, Gajeel was lost to her. Was that really how he had seen her? Just as a woman that would climb into bed with whoever her target was, then kill them in the end?

_"I don't know a fucking thing about you," he sneered. "Little slut… You made me think you cared. I was so fucking stupid for believing your bullshit. All because you opened your fucking legs. I shoulda known better!"_

But Gajeel did know her. Lucy had opened herself up to him in ways she'd never even considered to be possible. It wasn't all about sex with her. She had wanted to know Gajeel inside, and she'd thought that he was opening up to her too.  _'I gave him my mom's book,'_  she thought sadly. It was a gift from the heart, the same one that was now barely holding on.

_"I was ordered to gain your trust," he spat, his voice laced with venom. "Whatever it took to get you to fuckin' trust me. You were just a job for me…"_

That was what it all really came down to. She was just a job. Jose and Gajeel had been playing her from the beginning, trying to make sure she was malleable, easily manipulated, so the guild's master could get his hands on her father's money. She had never cared about any of that. Not the money, the fancy dresses, or anything else. What she had cared about was now staring at Natsu in total shock as the iron scales on his face cracked.

_"Don't tell me anymore goddamn lies! I'm done hearing your bullshit! Master had me testing you this whole fucking time…"_

_"You hear that, ya little whore? You're fucking nothing to me. I know the goddamn truth now."_

The two Slayers flew up into the sky and continued their brawl, and Ryos was ripped from his entranced state of watching their powerful blows when he caught the scent of Lucy's tears. He looked down with a furrowed brow, nibbling his lip worriedly when she simply curled into his smaller chest. "Lucy," he whispered.

_"But ya left out crawling all over that fucking Salamander on the roof! You were fucking him weren't you… Then you called my ass and pretended you fuckin' needed me!" He stalked closer as Lucy shakily pulled herself to her feet. "You betrayed me…"_

None of it was true. Lucy had done that simply to throw Natsu off, because he could have easily blown her cover. Her heart shattered again and again as Gajeel's hate-filled words cut through her memories. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be in love, but…

"Lushy, what's wrong?" Happy asked tenderly.

"M-My… dragon…" she cried quietly, the words barely breaking past her lips before she completely lost what little control she had and broke down in Ryos' arms.

Ryos scowled and glared up at the glinting light that he knew was refracting off of Gajeel's scales. "I'll kill him for this," he growled.

"Whoa," Happy gasped. "Kid, what are you talking about? What's wrong with her?"

"Gajeel," Ryos spat. "He hurt her…"

"I can see that, but…"

Their eyes locked, deep red that burned with hatred and small black, feline orbs. Ryos pulled the blonde closer, carefully rubbing his free hand over her arm where the least of her injuries were. "Lucy loves him. And he did this to her… Because of Jose." Another low growl bubbled up. "I'll kill Gajeel for what he's done. No one hurts Lucy and gets away with it."

Happy took a small step back, his eyes wide and his small furry body trembling only slightly. There were few times he'd ever seen a look quite like that on someone's face. The only person he'd seen making this face was Natsu, and only when he was beyond upset and facing an enemy. He worried that maybe the boy was going to attack him, so all he did was stand there on edge until Ryos nestled his nose in Lucy's hair and started whispering tenderly in her ear.

"Don't worry, sis," Ryos whispered. "I'll always be with you. I'll take care of you."

Lucy nodded, but it did nothing to slow her tears. "I love you, s-sweetie," she sobbed.

"I love you, too."

"What the hell, man?!" Natsu bellowed. "That's cheating!"

Ryos' head shot up when the familiar crunch of metal sounded out in the decimated building. "He's powering up," he said softly as he watched Gajeel scarfing down bits of metal debris.

Lucy sniffled and wiped her eyes, letting out a shaky breath. "N-Natsu needs to eat fire, right?"

Happy nodded, his eyes hardening as he watched the two begin fighting again. "He can't eat his own fire, though."

Lucy's brow furrowed. This fight needed to end as quickly as possible, that was something she was sure of. And with how things seemed to be going, Natsu was getting his ass handed to him. "But… What should he do?" she whispered to herself. There had to be something that she could do to help him though. If Natsu lost, then Gajeel would come after her again. As everything stood, she couldn't trust the Iron Slayer any longer. Maybe she never should have to begin with, but… She wasn't always the most intelligent person. It hurt to think that, to think that the time they had spent together meant nothing, and that now she would have to figure out a way to help the enemy.

Sometimes, that was really just the only option though. A simple and temporary alliance for the purposes of furthering a common goal. Their common goal: saving her ass and stopping Gajeel. She needed to remember that.  _'Put it all to the side, Lucy. Deal with it all later, and cry for days if you want, but not right now.'_ A heavy sigh passed her lips. "I don't think I have any spirits that can use fire," she muttered. "But Ga-" Her throat clogged on the single word and she shook her head. "M-My keys were taken…"

Ryos' eyes went wide and he pulled the key ring from his pocket. "Maybe you do," he whispered urgently, passing the bits of metal to her and smiling warmly at the utter adoration that took root on her battered features. "I thought you might want these back. They were on the ground."

A quiet, giddy laugh spilled over and Lucy leaned up to press her lips to the young Slayer's pale cheek. He blushed, but she didn't pay it any mind as she turned her attention to the keys in her hands.  _'Not Virgo, she'll probably kill him. Aquarius, too. Taurus is pure strength, but I don't have enough magic to really power him up right now…'_  Her silvers were out of the question, since they weren't made for fighting, and none of them could use fire to begin with. One after another, Lucy pushed the keys to the side until she came to her last gold. Her eyes narrowed in thought, then she looked around the room. Sagittarius couldn't  _shoot_  fire, but…

A wide grin spread across the blonde's face when she saw a control panel of some sort that was, miraculously, intact. She thrust the key forward and called her Archer spirit, smiling up at his ridiculous horse-head costume and stern face.

"Miss Lucy, how can I help you? Moshi moshi."

Happy blanched and scurried behind Ryos and Lucy, his eyes wide while he gaped at the weird spirit the blonde had summoned. "What  _is_  that?"

Lucy grinned at the odd blue cat. "This is Sagittarius. The best archer in existence." She lifted a shaking hand, pointing to the control panel as she looked back to her spirit just when Natsu crashed to the ground in front of it. "Sagittarius. Shoot that thing and make it explode."

It was Ryos' turn to protect Lucy by throwing himself on top of her and Happy as Sagittarius' arrow connected with the machinery across the room. While the explosion didn't actually reach them, considering he was able to see that Natsu was sucking down the flames, the heat was far worse than what the blonde's battered body needed to deal with. He found himself sweating by the time Gajeel was thrown across the room, the flames shooting from Natsu in a violent roar and engulfing his fists and wildly kicking feet.

Gajeel snarled and righted himself, refusing to give in to the wobbling of his knees. One hit after another landed on him from the smaller Slayer, and he caught only the barest glimpse of Ryos helping Lucy sit up while her spirit knelt down at her side.  _'The bitch helped him!'_ He should have known he couldn't trust her, and if he had doubted it at all before, then this was proof enough for him. No matter what Lucy had said, she was working  _with_  Natsu now. "You fucking bitch!" he bellowed. "I knew it!"

She refused to look up, though. Lucy just couldn't watch what was happening with the fight. She could hear it all well enough. How so much venom and hatred came pouring the from the man she thought loved her, the pained grunts with each hit he took from the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"She wasn't lying to you," Natsu growled as he landed another heavy kick to Gajeel's ribs. "You're just an idiot!"

"Like I'm gonna… believe  _you_ , Salamander," Gajeel spat. "She's one 'a you fuckers. She always was. And  _you_ … I was just a fucking tool…" Rage raced through his veins when he saw the blonde in Ryos' arms out of the corner of his eye, and an earsplitting roar welled up from within him while he charged for Natsu again. This needed to end, and fast. He was beyond done fucking around with the piddly shit Slayer before him. Ryos needed to see the truth about Lucy, and get the hell away from her, and that wouldn't happen unless she was dead.

"If you think that Lucy was always in Fairy Tail, then you really are an idiot!" Natsu bellowed. He shot forward, sending out a series of hits and letting the flames of fury within him rise to the surface. "Worst of all, you're the monster that hurt my friends. My guild!"

"Damn right, I did," Gajeel cackled. "And who do you think convinced me to attack those three?"

Ryos frowned and looked up at Lucy when he heard the appalled gasp spilling past Happy's feline lips. She had told Gajeel to make the Fairies suffer, but she'd been justified at the time. She still was, as far as he was concerned.

"Did you really do that?" Happy whispered.

Lucy let out a heavy sigh and nodded. "Yes, Happy. I did."

"But… why? They never did anything to you…"

"I don't care if Lucy was the one behind them getting hurt," Natsu growled. "It was your hand that did it. You're a Dragon Slayer, not some mindless machine! This is for everyone you've hurt!"

Gajeel stumbled back as a flaming fist connected with his stomach.

"For Levy. Jet. Droy!" A low growl that grew in strength with each passing second bubbled up. Natsu's hits came faster and faster, stronger as he let his anger and the retribution that needed to be brought upon Gajeel fill him to the brim. "For Master. For Erza!"

Gajeel's eyes were wide, and the inner dragon that had been roaring at him the entire time finally calmed. And the fucker smiled just as the flames surrounding Natsu's body flew into an enormous pillar. He could see a dragon, mighty and fearsome, roaring within them, and felt a fear he'd never known before trickling down his spine.

"For LUCY!" Natsu roared and sent out his magic, letting the words of his father, and his inner dragon, fill his heart and bolster his conviction to protect the ones he loved - and the ones who couldn't protect themselves.

Lucy's head shot up when she heard her name, and she was greeted with the sight of Gajeel writhing in pain while he was engulfed in flames. The Iron Slayer flew through the air and out of the room, his body smoldering and singed. The breath died in her throat when she didn't see him come back up.  _'Don't be dead… Please…'_  No matter how much pain Gajeel had caused, no matter how torn apart her heart and soul were from his actions against her, she still loved him.

Maybe it was stupid, and exceedingly reckless, but the blonde couldn't just leave things this way. Gajeel was defeated, that much she was sure of. But still…

"Lucy," Ryos gasped when the blonde wrenched herself from his arms and dashed toward where Gajeel had gone down. "What are you doing?!"

"I have to… to…" Lucy didn't know  _what_  exactly she was doing, but she needed to see it for herself. She needed to know that Gajeel was at least still breathing. Maybe… Maybe there was still a spark of the love she felt for him that was alive and kicking in the fetid depths of her soul. She needed to see him though. And when she did, Lucy froze and threw a hand to her mouth. His body was lying, nearly broken and definitely burnt, on a pile of rubble. It was clear that he was hardly conscious, but that didn't stop the blonde from all but tumbling down the broken edges of the building until she was standing over him. "Gajeel…"

"Fuck… Off… Whore."

Hearing those three words threatened to unravel her already shaky control on her emotions. Still, she singled out another key and summoned her spirit. The only one she could think of that would be willing to help her.

"Please let me punish him, Princess," Virgo said as she stood from a bow.

"N-No, Virgo," Lucy whispered, sniffling and wiping her tears away. "Just help me get him cleaned up, okay?"

"... Princess?" Virgo's eyes flashed with confusion when Lucy turned and gave her a trembling smile. "Why-"

"Because," Lucy sniffled. She bent down and wrapped her hands under Gajeel's shoulders, then grunted while lifting him just a few inches off the ground. When he growled at her weakly while his head hung limply, she rolled her eyes. "He needs help, Virgo. I know what he did, and don't think I've just forgiven him, but…" She let out a heavy sigh. "I-I just don't know what I'm doing right now and-"

"I will help you, Princess." Virgo let out a soft smile when Lucy froze and stared at her with wide eyes. Slowly, the two made their way toward a section of the ground that wasn't completely littered with debris, with Lucy holding Gajeel's shoulders and Virgo his legs. They set him down, and the maid spirit scowled minutely when he started mumbling curses while he faded in and out of consciousness. "You would do well to keep quiet, you idiot," she whispered to him while starting to treat his wounds.

"Fuck you," Gajeel sneered.

Virgo blinked and nodded to Lucy when the blonde motioned that she would need a minute before continuing. All the maid was thankful for in that moment was the pink-haired Dragon Slayer that had come to Lucy's aid. That he had been able to stop this monster from hurting her more than she deserved.  _'Why would he allow something like this to happen?'_  she wondered. From what she knew of the Dragons, and of their Slayers, from years ago…  _'This never should have happened…'_

Ryos scrambled over to the blonde, with Happy and Natsu following closely behind him. "Lucy, what are you doing?"

She sighed and stood, wrapping her arms around the boy and nestling her nose in his hair. "He needs help, Ryos. I'm having Virgo bandage him up."

"After all of that," Ryos said with a shake of his head, "After everything he did to you. You're  _still_  going to help him?" When she nodded, he pulled back with a deep frown. "He tried to kill you! Why are you helping him?!"

Tears welled in her eyes, and the blonde let out another slow breath.

_"You don't really seem like the helpful type," Lucy said with a smirk. "I'm pretty sure the only reason you're training me is because Master ordered you to."_

_"True, I'm not. And he did," Gajeel said with a nod, "But, I was taught to help those that help me. No one's ever helped me before, so I saw no need to help them. You did, so I will."_

"I was taught to help the ones that help me," Lucy whispered as the memory of that day so long ago, before she and Gajeel had gone into the mountains, surfaced. "Sure, Gajeel hurt me, but… He's helped me before. And he needs it now."

"Just because he needs help doesn't mean he deserves it. Not after what he's done!"

"Ryos," Lucy frowned, "Everyone deserves help when they need it the most. I know that's not what Phantom is all about, but… that's what my mom taught me. Didn't your dad teach you the same thing?"

Ryos hated to admit it, but Skiadrum had taught him the same thing. It was one of the lessons he was able to remember.  _'I wish I had more time with him… What am I supposed to do?'_  Still, the dragon within him was growling and whispering that he needed to take Gajeel's head off for the pain he'd caused Lucy. Slowly, with a begrudging scowl, he nodded. "Yeah, he did," he grumbled. "But I still don't think you should do  _anything_  for him."

"And that's perfectly okay," Lucy said gently while she brushed his hair from his face. "Still, I have to do this, okay? Even if he doesn't want my help, I don't want him to suffer…" The thought that this was similar to the first time she had bandaged him up, with him attacking her and the blonde stopping everything to take care of him - even though she had been the one with broken bones - made her heart clench. Maybe that's what it had always been for them. Gajeel hurting her, and the blonde forgiving him far too soon.

"It is finished, Princess," Virgo said softly. "I will take care of Ryos."

Lucy smiled and kissed the boy's cheek, then turned to look down at Gajeel. His beautiful ruby eyes were hazy while he looked up at her, and she could tell that he couldn't move and that he was barely holding onto consciousness as it was. Still, there were some things that she needed to say. She wasn't entirely sure just when she had decided, but it was obvious then that this needed to happen. No matter how much it all hurt.

Gajeel snarled weakly as the blonde blur that he knew was Lucy moved closer and hovered over him. He hadn't wanted her help, or Virgo's, but there hadn't been anything he could do about it. Now she probably wanted to gloat. No way in hell was he going to listen to that shit.  _'I'm gonna pass out… Thank god. Maybe everyone will be gone when I wake up, then I can lick my wounds in fucking peace.'_

Lucy let out a shaky breath and gently grabbed his hand with both of hers. The barest twitch of his fingers against her own had her breath catching in her throat and tears pushing themselves to the surface. "I really did love you, Gajeel," she whispered. "And I thought you loved me, too. M-Maybe what we had wasn't really love though, now that I think about it. I was happy with you, and with Ryos. And it felt like we were a family, y'know? But… That's all gone now…"

Natsu's brows drew together and he silently walked forward and tapped Ryos on the shoulder. When the boy looked from Lucy over to him in question, he leaned down to whisper, "I think she needs to say whatever it is by herself…" After a short pause, where Ryos looked back at Lucy with worry swimming in his crimson irises, Natsu added, "We'll wait for her up there. I'll keep an ear out and make sure nothing happens to her, kid."

Ryos nodded slowly, and took hold of Virgo's hand when she held it out to him, then followed the Fire Slayer and his little blue cat up the rubble to where they had been before. He could still hear Lucy, not that Natsu knew that, so he would listen in too. Just to make sure Lucy was alright.

"What Jose told you was a lie," Lucy continued, closing her eyes against the pain that seemed to radiate from the very depths of her soul. "He lied to you, Gajeel. Not me. I only ever wanted to be with you, and I thought that was what you wanted, too. I hope you'll be able to see that one day. And maybe what we need is some time apart."

She didn't want to do this. It hurt more than it really should have, but the truth of the matter was that she couldn't forgive him for what had happened. Maybe in time, she would. She was her mother's daughter, after all. And one thing she'd always known was that Layla Heartfilia had a heart that could forgive anyone.  _'I wish you were here, Mama… I'm so lost now.'_

"I'm… I-I'm going back," Lucy said, her voice growing thick with the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her. She just had to get through this, and then she could cry it all out. "I'm going back to my father, and… I'm going to sort all of this out. He won't come after me anymore. Not when I talk to him… And, even if I have to take him out myself… I-I won't let anyone control my life now. I-I just have one request…"

Gajeel's eyes opened blearily as he looked up at the blonde.

"Please take care of Ryos for me," Lucy whispered, her voice barely carrying down to the Slayer whose hand she was gripping tightly. "I can't take him with me, and he needs training. He needs a Slayer that he trusts, and that I trust… Even with everything that's happened, I-I just know you'll do right by him. You can teach him, make him into a strong Slayer. One that his dragon would be proud to call his son. B-Be gentle when he needs it, but… Please… If you won't do it for me, then do it for Ryos. He lost his dad, just like you did. He needs a dad, Gajeel. Or a brother, maybe." Lucy shook her head and wiped at her teary eyes, then rested her hand on his arm. Just the feel of the piercings in it had her tears coming more forcefully. "Please. Take care of him."

A slow frown pulled at Gajeel's lips and his eyes closed again. He wasn't aware of the fact this his hand naturally closed around Lucy's, or that he was nodding to her request.  _'Of course I'll help him… He needs me. And I need him…'_

"I'm… I-I'm going to miss you, Gajeel," Lucy cried. "I wish things could have worked out differently. But maybe… M-Maybe when I come back to visit with Ryos and see how he's doing… Maybe you and I can talk then? We'll… We'll see where we're at when the time comes. I promised I wouldn't leave you, and I never break a promise, but this… What happened today… I can't be with you right now."

It felt too much like she was leaving him forever, and while that was probably what she should be doing, she didn't want to give up on it all. Still, there were things that needed to take priority over whatever it was that had been happening between herself and the Iron Slayer. "I need to s-sort through everything, and see how I even feel. So, I'm going back to deal with my father first, and then… I'll come find Ryos and see how much he's grown. I hope you can forgive me for helping Natsu beat you. And… I-I hope that one day… I can forgive you for hurting me like this."

It wasn't even a conscious thought, but Lucy found herself leaning down and pressing her lips to the now unconscious Iron Slayer's as her tears spilled over. A sob crept up her throat and Lucy let go of his hand and arm to gently run her fingers through his hair. "I love you," she cried against his lips. "Even i-if I'm not your Bunny anymore… You'll always be my Dragon. A-Always always…"

* * *

"I promise, Ryos," Lucy said as her arms wrapped around his trembling shoulders, "I'm coming back. No matter what happens, I'm  _going_  to come home to you."

"But, Lucy… You're going back there. Wh-Why can't I come with you?" he cried. "I-I won't slow you down, I swear! And I can take care of myself, so-"

"Sweetie," she sighed. "I know, but… Anything could happen while I'm there. I don't want you to get caught up in this anymore than you already are. You'll be safe here with Gajeel. He can train you."

"I don't want to be here with him!" Ryos shouted, ripping himself away from her embrace. "Lucy, I don't care about Gajeel! I don't want anything to do with that monster! Not after he hurt you!"

"You need someone to train you, and Gajeel is the only one I trust to do that."

"Why, because you still love him?!"

Lucy shook her head and gave the boy a sad smile. "He trained me, Ryos. I know that he knows what he's doing. And I  _know_  that he'll be able to tell when to take it easy on you. I trust him because he let you go earlier. He didn't want to hurt you, sweetie. Gajeel wants to protect you, and that's why I know that you staying with him is for the best."

"I-I don't want to be here! Not with Gajeel! Please, just let me go with you! Please!"

Lucy rushed forward when Ryos dropped to his knees, and pulled him into her arms again. She didn't care that it was excruciating for his arms to wind around her while he openly sobbed, because the boy needed her. And she needed him to understand. "If I could take you with me, I would, Ryos," she whispered while tenderly rocking him from side to side. "I'd take you in a heartbeat, because I don't want to leave you behind. But, you need to know that I'm not abandoning you. It's just that there's no guarantee that something won't happen while I'm there, and I have to keep you safe."

"Y-You said you wouldn't leave me though!"

"And I'm not leaving you. It's just a trip to make sure we can be safe and happy again. Without worrying about someone coming to try and take me away. I don't want to keep fighting to stay with you, Ryos. And the only way to make that happen is if I handle this now." She pressed her lips to his forehead, then lifted his chin to look into his tear-filled eyes. "A Celestial mage  _never_  breaks a promise, Ryos. And I've promised you several things now. I'm making you another one. I  _promise_  I'm never going to abandon you. No matter what happens, I'll always come home to you, okay?"

Ryos sniffled and nodded. "N-No matter what?" he whispered.

"No matter what. And no matter how long it takes, I'll come back." Lucy gave him a trembling smile, then hugged him just as fiercely as he hugged her. She turned her head slightly and whispered low enough for only him to hear, "You're the only family I have, Ryos. Wherever you are, that's where my home is. Not with my father, and not with… With Gajeel… But with you. I just…"

"I get it," Ryos whispered back. "And… I don't think I'll ever forgive him for hurting you. I'll stay though. Gajeel can train me until you come back."

She let out a watery laugh when he nuzzled her neck tenderly. "I love you, Ryos."

"I love you too, Lucy." He pulled back to look into her deeply saddened eyes, then smiled softly. "And when we're together again, I'll show you how strong I am. I'll make you proud."

"Silly Rogue, I'm already proud of you." When his trembling lips pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, Lucy smiled. She had a feeling that it would be the last one to sit on her lips for a long time, but that wasn't important. Once she was home with Ryos again, she could smile. "I'll try to be quick though, okay? I already miss you."

Ryos nodded again, staying perfectly still as Lucy's thumbs brushed under his eyes to rid his cheeks of the tears that just wouldn't stop. One final smile that didn't reach her eyes graced her face before she visibly forced herself to pull away. He didn't want her to go, but there was nothing he could do to stop her. He never doubted for a second that she would come back to him though. Ryos could see just how hard it was for Lucy to leave, and as she started to walk away with Natsu and Happy, he forced himself to put on a brave face when she turned to look at him over her shoulder. "I'll see you soon, Big Sister," he whispered as she disappeared into the distance.

Once she was gone, a scowl made its way onto his young face, and he turned to look at the unconscious Iron Slayer on the ground. All of this was Gajeel's fault. He didn't need the growling of his inner dragon to know that much. "I hate you," Ryos growled as he sat down on the ground next to Gajeel. "I-I'll never forgive you for this…"

* * *

The group paused in the hallway when Lucy swayed and leaned heavily against a wall, and Natsu frowned while looking over her injuries. "After all of that," he said slowly, "You're really just gonna up and leave?"

"Not forever," Lucy sighed. She winced while pushing herself away from the wall, then blinked in surprise when she felt a warm hand on her wrist, wrapping it around Natsu's shoulders, while his other arm wound around her waist. His fingers didn't brush over her skin like she would have expected though. It wasn't too low or too high. "But I can't be on the run forever; otherwise, I'll never be happy."

Happy floated down in front of the two mages. "Why did you help Natsu win, anyway?"

"Yeah," Natsu nodded. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved the meal. But… You still care about Gajeel."

Lucy's eyes lowered to the ground in shame. "I only helped you because… If he won… He would have killed me. Ryos would have been safe, but not me."

"I don't know how you could love a guy that would hurt you like that," Happy sighed sadly. "That's not what love is… At least, I don't think it is."

"I thought we were in love, Happy," Lucy whispered while wiping her tears away. This was the last time she was going to let herself cry. She needed to be alone for that, not bawling her eyes out in front of these Fairies. "Maybe I was wrong this whole time. He turned on me when Mast- when Jose told him all those lies about me. I thought maybe... he saw me for who I really was. I don't know what I feel now. Everything's just too raw for me to deal with it... I'm in too much pain from all of the fighting I did just to get back to him."

Natsu let out a soft sigh and pulled the blonde to a stop. When she turned to look at him curiously, he shook his head and leaned his forehead against hers. "Well, I think he really does love you," he whispered. "Dragon Slayers aren't always good at handling their emotions, but maybe he was just insecure about stuff. That could be how Jose got him to turn on you." There was no way he was going to mention the bite he'd seen on Lucy earlier. Or the fact that he'd noticed two new bite wounds - which explained why she smelled so much like Gajeel by that point - that had obviously happened since she had gotten out of the guild.

If Lucy wasn't going to say anything about the bites, then it wasn't Natsu's place to do it either.  _'Maybe that's why she's so confused. She's his mate, and he did this to her…'_  All Natsu could figure was that - based on the fact that Ryos had mentioned Gajeel wanting to ask Lucy to be his mate - she was just confused, because she knew about the bites. She knew about Gajeel's intention to one day ask her that all-important question.

Lucy looked away, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Maybe, Natsu," she sighed. "I'll just focus on dealing with my father for now. Then…" It weighed heavy on her heart, thinking of what was going to happen when she came back for Ryos. "Then, I'll go from there."

* * *

A bright flash of golden light filled the sky and an immense magical pressure weighed heavily on Ryos' body. It lasted for only a minute, but once it was gone, a sudden calm washed over the area. It was just too bad that it couldn't soothe the raging beast within him as he glared at Gajeel. "I hate you so much," he hissed. Lucy hadn't been gone for very long, but he knew that she wasn't anywhere near him. He couldn't smell her, and he couldn't hear her voice carrying on the wind.

Ryos' foot shot out and connected with the Iron Slayer's ribs in his anger. He only did it one more time before Gajeel's pained eyes slid open to glare at him.

"What the fuck?" Gajeel grumbled.

"This is all your fault!" Ryos yelled. "If you had listened to Lucy, then-"

Gajeel rolled his eyes before closing them again. "Fuck her. She's a goddamn liar."

"She isn't! Gajeel, she never lied to any of us!"

"Yeah? And what makes you so fuckin' sure of that?"

"Because we would have smelled it." He slowly pulled his knees to his chest and shook his head. "You know as well as I do, we can smell it when someone's lying. We can hear it in their voice, how their heart starts beating faster. The small bit of fear that someone will figure it out. She's a good person, and she loved you. She loved  _us_. And you took it all away when you decided that Jose was the person you wanted to believe."

Gajeel furrowed his brow and turned his head to look at the boy. "He gave me proof, kid. What the hell was I supposed to think?"

"Maybe if you'd  _talked_  to her, you would have realized Jose was lying about everything."

"He had  _proof_  she was working with the fucking Fairies," he growled. "He had pictures from her mission, and-"

"And she told me about her mission. How boring it was, and who she met, and everything else. And when he was talking to her, before he went out to talk to you and turn you against her, he tried to get Lucy to ruin her father's life. He said that, after Fairy Tail was destroyed, all they needed to do was pretend she was being held for ransom, and then she would just refuse to return after he gave up all of his money." Ryos' face turned down into a scowl. "I was hiding in the shadows under the couch. She… She told him that she loved being a Phantom, and that she would fight whoever she had to, but she couldn't do that to her dad. She couldn't destroy the life he built with her mom."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "So the hell what if she doesn't wanna ruin her old man?"

"Jose just wanted the money. He was trying to bribe her with power, and she turned it down."

"Because she's a fucking Fairy."

"No," Ryos shot back. "Because Lucy  _never_  turns back from what she believes in. She might not like what her dad is trying to do, but she still loves him. No matter how hard it is, she doesn't run away and she doesn't fight dirty." Softer, and with much more emotion in his voice, he whispered, "That's why she's going back to her dad now…"

"Whatever," Gajeel grumbled, refusing to accept the sudden ache in his heart at hearing that she was leaving. "I don't fuckin' care about her."

"That's a lie, Gajeel. My nose might still be broken, but I can smell it. You love her, and this is hurting you." When Gajeel growled in response, Ryos sighed. "Right before he walked out, Jose told her something. Whether you want to believe that Lucy cared about you or not, I know she did."

_*.*_

_"Whatever your current relationship is with Gajeel," Jose said slowly with a small quirk to his lips. "I would like you to know that I approve."_

_"Wha… Huh?"_

_Jose chuckled softly and shook his head. "We all need allies, Lucy. And you have gained one of the strongest allies possible by getting closer to him."_

_"Um…" Lucy whispered uncomfortably. "Thanks…? I don't really see him as just a strong ally, but… Yeah… Thanks, Master."_

_He chuckled again and turned around to make his way to the door, letting his gaze linger for an extra moment on the small shadow just beneath the couch he and Lucy had been sitting on. "Even better," he whispered to himself._

_*.*_

"She never saw you as a pawn, or anything like that," Ryos whispered. "You were her Dragon, and she thought that she was your Bunny."

Gajeel sneered and opened his mouth to start yelling at the boy. He didn't need to hear this shit. He knew the truth now. Jose had never lied to him before, and he knew for a fact that the guild's master cared about him. Lucy though, he didn't know anything about her now.

"You still don't believe me…" Ryos sighed. He just didn't know what he could say to make the Iron Slayer see the truth. "What did he do to make you like this? To make you forget what your dragon taught you…"

"Ryos," Gajeel sighed. "Just drop it. You can't change my mind about this shit. That stupid fuckin' dragon in my head couldn't, and neither will you. I know the damn truth, alright?"

"You know what the worst part of all of this is?" Ryos whispered sadly. "Lucy knew that I would be safe with you, so she told me to stay with you."

Gajeel scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Just cuttin' ties, kid. She ain't coming back."

"She is," Ryos said firmly. "And she would have been your mate when you asked her tonight, if you'd just listened."

With narrowed eyes, the Iron Slayer felt his inner dragon pause in its constant berating to stare at the boy. "What?"

Ryos nodded, a heavy sigh slipping past his lips. "I wasn't supposed to tell you. I asked Lucy if she wanted to be with you forever, after you went back to sleep this morning. And you know what she told me?"

Gajeel slowly shook his head as a sense of dread washed over him.

"She told me that you make her feel whole. You understand her in a way that she never thought was possible. You're  _everything_  to her, and she wanted to be your mate. Lucy didn't know that's what it's called, but it's what she wanted."

"What…" Gajeel's breathing turned to the shallow side and his heart clenched painfully. He didn't want to think about that. Lucy had just been using him, after all. She never would have wanted to be his mate. That would mean commitment to one another, and it was something she couldn't get out of. No way in hell would someone like her want that. Not with him. Still, even though he didn't want to hear anymore, his mouth apparently had other ideas. "How did she say it?"

"There's nothing that would make her happier than spending the rest of her life with you. And, because you had my approval for you two being together, she told me that she wouldn't hesitate if you asked her to do just that."

"No," Gajeel whispered. "Yer lyin'..."

"I'm not," Ryos whispered. "I've got no reason to lie to you, just like she didn't. Think about it, Gajeel. You spent a whole month with just the two of you, out in the middle of nowhere. You know her better than anyone in the guild does."

"I don't…"

"You know why she has nightmares in the woods," Ryos interjected. "You were there, and you helped her."

"That's not-"

"You know why she loves the stars so much, and that it's about more than her magic."

"No, I…"

Ryos finally lifted his gaze and locked onto the crimson eyes that were now wide. "You know that her mom died, and what happened with her dad. That she's scared of being locked up anywhere because of him. You know her favorite color, her favorite food, and everything in between. You know her favorite constellation is Leo, even though she's a Cancer."

"So? You do, too, apparently."

"What I  _don't_  know about Lucy, and what you  _do_ ," Ryos hissed between grinding teeth, "Is why she grabs that necklace she never takes off and smiles. I don't know why talking about a waterfall makes her blush. I  _don't_  know why sunrises make her sad even though she's smiling, or why she reaches up and tries to grab stars at night. And I don't know what it is about you that made her fall in love, but I know that's what she felt."

"You don't know that."

"But, I do," Ryos said in earnest. "I know, because she gets the same look in her eyes when she's with you that those old married couples get when they're out having tea. Or couples that are getting married. She was in love with you, Gajeel. Skiadrum taught me what love was like, and she looked at me the same way he did. Like I was her family. She loved both of us, and now… Now she's gone because of you!"

"She didn't love me," Gajeel whispered with a frown. "No way."

"When did she first say she loved you?" Ryos asked angrily. "Was it out of the blue? Just randomly walked into the bathroom and shouted it across her apartment?"

"No," Gajeel said with a frown. "She… I had to have her bite me so I could say it."

"And you bit her back, right?" When Gajeel nodded, the Shadow Slayer was able to see the confusion in his eyes.  _'Finally,'_  he thought. "Y'know… I don't know if it's true, but… Skiadrum told me that biting when you're not mated makes you loopy. Like, you can't keep your thoughts to yourself."

"She… said she loved me," Gajeel whispered to himself, "After her third bite…"

"And the more bites there are, one after another, the harder it is to keep your mouth shut. You're not scared of anything. You won't keep anything from each other."

She told him about her father after the second bite. She said she loved him after the third. When they woke up the next day, Lucy had been all smiles when she said she loved him. She wanted a piercing from him. A little iron dragon that he knew was still nestled in her navel, since there was no way to take the ring off unless he did it himself. He had piercings that she had called 'Bunny Ears', something she had chosen for him.  _'Her piercing… She asked for a dragon... So we could be together no matter what... What have I done?'_

" _I tried to tell you, dumbass,"_ his inner dragon groaned.  _"You were trying to kill your mate."_

" _I… I didn't… What the hell did I do?"_

" _You lost her for good, is what you did. Good fucking job."_

"Looks like you figured it out," Ryos spat as he finally found the strength to stand. "Took you long enough. Lucy tried to tell you before. No matter what you did, she was trying to reason with you and you didn't want to listen. And now she's gone."

"No," Gajeel whispered in horror. He tried to push himself up from the rubble, then grunted when Ryos kicked him in the ribs again. "Cut this shit out! Lemme go find her!"

"Why?" Ryos roared. "So you can hurt her more? Didn't you hear  _anything_  she said before she left? Or were you just being a self-centered dick that thought you had all the answers?!" Another kick landed against the Iron Slayer's ribs as tears welled up in the boy's eyes. "She's the only family I had, and you took her away from me! She told me to stay with you, so you could keep training me. Because she doesn't know what will happen now that she's going back to her dad's.  _Anything_  could happen to her, and I know she's not even gonna wait until she's healed to do it. Sh-She could get herself killed, because she wants him to l-leave her alone. Don't pretend you care about her now!"

"Fuck you!"

"No!" Ryos bellowed. "Fuck  _you_ , Gajeel! You're the worst Dragon Slayer I've ever met. You think you have all the answers, and fuck anyone else that thinks otherwise, right? You don't listen to your instincts, even when they've never steered you wrong before! You told me that! You said… Y-You said you fought that dragon in your head over Lucy, and it's the only time you've done it! B-But… If you'd just listened…"

Gajeel felt his heart crack as a heartrending sob tore itself from the boy's throat. There was no way in hell he could fight back in his current condition, even if he wanted to. Suddenly, the weight of what he'd done, what he'd let Jose convince him to do, started to crush him from within. He didn't want to fight back, anymore. There was nothing left for him to fight for anyway.

"I-If you'd listened to your dragon, or to me, or even Lucy… You wouldn't be alone.  _We_  wouldn't be alone!" Ryos cried. "I told her I'd stay, but… I won't. I can't be around the piece of shit that took my sister away. You know just how much it hurt when I lost my dad, because yours left you behind too. What were you even thinking when you let me go earlier?!"

"I wanted to keep you safe, Ryos!" Gajeel shouted. "I wanted to get rid of Lucy so we could be together, and we could be happy."

"You thought I'd be happy with  _you_?! Why? You beat the hell out of me for months! I had to run and hide from you and everyone else in the guild until Lucy came along!  _She's_  the one that took care of me! She protected me from  _you_!"

"I never said what I did was right!" Slowly, using every ounce of strength he possessed right then, Gajeel pushed himself to sit up. "I fuckin' love ya like a brother, kid. You're just like me," he sighed. "I wanna help you. I wanna take care of you, and-"

"And nothing," Ryos growled, his eyes flaring with anger. He could feel his magic swelling within him as the image of his father rose to its full height. "I don't love you, Gajeel. You're  _nothing_  to me, and I'll be damned if I let you anywhere near me  _or_  Lucy again."

Gajeel's eyes went wide as his arms wobbled and gave out under the weight of his guilt. Had he really done all of this? He was the one that tore the small family he and Lucy had made with Ryos apart. Those two would have each other, assuming she came back for the boy, but...

Ryos growled again as he withdrew the sword on his hip from its sheath and pointed it at Gajeel's throat. "If you  _ever_  come near my sister again, I'll kill you, Gajeel. I don't care what she says. You're not good enough for her. You were supposed to protect her, not try to kill her, and now we're both alone again."

" _Do it. Kill him…"_

Ryos frowned when the chilly voices from the shadows, the ones he knew he needed to ignore, filtered into his ears. Or maybe it was his head. "I might not have learned how to use this just yet," he whispered, "But I think I can manage this much."

" _Yes… Kill him, child. Take his head off."_

Gajeel whimpered and let his eyes slide closed as he slumped back onto the rubble, not caring in the slightest that it was digging into the wounds on his back. "Do it," he said, his voice trembling, "Fuckin' kill me. I deserve it…"

"You do," Ryos hissed. He slowly pushed the tip of his sword into Gajeel's flesh, watching as a small dot of blood trickled down his throat.

" _Don't, Ryos,"_  his inner dragon whispered.  _"Don't kill him."_

" _Why not? You said that he should pay with his life. That's what I'm going to do."_

" _You were taught to protect the ones you love, and he does deserve death for hurting her. However… he also deserves a fate worse than death. Look at him. He knows you speak the truth."_  The dragon chuckled and laid itself down on the ground.  _"Let him suffer for what he's done, Ryos. Let him suffer while you train, and then… When the time is right…"_  The dragon paused as a wide grin bared his enormous, pointed teeth.  _"When the time comes, then_ _ **destroy him**_ _."_

Ryos shivered as a sudden chill swept over his body, the voice of his father rumbling from within him as the shadows' whispers died down. They were silent, the constant goading to just end the Iron Slayer's life coming to a halt in an instant.  _"That's a much better idea…"_  the shadows finally hummed.  _"Become stronger, then completely obliterate him. Genius, really…"_

It was the only time Ryos could remember the shadows agreeing with his instincts on anything, but he wasn't going to be an idiot like Gajeel. His instincts were telling him to wait, to train and bide his time until he could do this the proper way. Slowly, he pulled the sword from Gajeel's throat and sheathed it again.

Gajeel's eyes shot open in shock. "What-"

"There's no point in killing you now," Ryos said, his voice devoid of emotion. There was no need to cry anymore, or to feel anything until he was with Lucy again. He had a mission now, and it was one he refused to fail. Yes, he was going to go against what he told Lucy by leaving instead of training with the Iron Slayer, but it couldn't be helped. "Not when I can't beat you into a bloody pulp myself. You're just Natsu's leftovers."

Gajeel watched as Ryos slowly turned to walk away, and felt a whimper crawling to the surface when the boy took that first step to leave him behind.  _'No… Don't go. Don't leave me like everyone else does… Not you, too…'_

"I'll find you again, Gajeel. And when I do…" Ryos paused and looked at the Iron Slayer when he smelled tears in the air, doing nothing to wipe away the evidence of his own from before. The sight of Gajeel crying was just what he needed to see. He wanted this to hurt the older mage as much as possible. "I'm going to kill you," he finished flatly.

"R-Ryos, wait!"

There wasn't anything left to say, even when he heard the once proud Iron Slayer calling out and begging him to stop. He needed to heal, and get stronger. One day, Lucy wouldn't need anyone to protect her but him. No matter who was in her life, whether she fell in love and had children, Ryos swore to himself then and there that he would be there for her. The blonde was the only thing he had left in the world. She was his only family, and the only one that truly loved him. Gajeel could say what he wanted, but the fact of the matter was… Lucy cared, and no one else. She took care of him when he needed someone the most, and he was going to make sure he could do that for her.  _'I'll get stronger, Lucy,'_  he thought as he made his way through the decimated and deserted building.  _'When we meet again, I'll be the one to protect you. I swear it.'_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry! I know that this probably wasn't the turn any of you wanted to see, but I promise, it's important to the story. I'm sure there are some of you that are actually relieved that Lucy didn't just automatically forgive Gajeel, and lemme tell ya… I am too. I originally planned to have her forgive him right away, but… This is more realistic.
> 
> Also, after having a chat with my Triplet, LittlePrincessNana, I've decided that a good portion of the third arc is going to be removed. It will end up shortening the story (I'm not sure at this point how substantial that will be), but it will also make it so that it's not just dragging on and on when we get to that point.
> 
> And, for anyone who's thinking of quitting this, I'd like to let you all know that this story  _will_  have a happy ending. No matter what happens between now and the end, it will be happy and GaLu will be together. Bet you can't wait to see how I make that shit work, huh? HAHA!


	21. Arc 1: Phantom's End

 

Lucy gasped as an immense magical pressure weighed down on her, all but collapsing into Natsu's warm arms. "Wh-What is that?" she rasped when a brilliant golden light filled her vision. In a matter of moments, it was all gone. Everything except for overly warm, muscled appendages that were tenderly wrapped around her.

"Not a clue," Natsu whispered, helping to right the blonde. A small smile crept over his face when she leaned against him again. "But it's all gone now. Kinda felt like Gramps though."

Lucy nodded silently as they continued making their way through the rubble that was once Phantom Lord's mobile guild. The sight of a small man standing in the midst of it all made her pause. White hair, thick brows, a heavy moustache and saddened eyes. "That's him…"

Natsu grinned when he caught sight of Master Makarov. He was more than happy to see the older man was up and about now. "That's him. Nothing can keep Gramps down for long."

Lucy nodded, her eyes narrowing as her steps slowed. "What's he doing?" She could see his lips moving as he looked down at something on the ground. Just what it was, she wasn't entirely sure. But she was more than curious to know what Fairy Tail's guild master was doing right then. Especially since she wasn't aware that he'd been able to counteract what Aria had done to him.

As they got closer, she could feel Natsu's excitement growing. What the blonde also felt was pure, unadulterated rage swelling within her once she saw Jose. His skin was pale. His hair was white. His eyes were wide and terrified as a wisping croak was carried away on the wind.

"Hey, where are you goin'?" Natsu frowned as Lucy pulled away, his nose crinkling when he smelled the overwhelming anger pouring off of her.

"I've got something to deal with," Lucy hissed. Suddenly, the pain that she'd been failing to ignore from her injuries was gone. Instead, it was the pain of what Gajeel had done - what she'd been pushing to the side because she couldn't bear to let any of it consume her until she was alone - that thrashed wildly within her.

"Wait," Happy said worriedly. "Lucy…"

"Shut it, cat," she scowled over her shoulder, brushing past the aged guild master of Fairy Tail whose eyes were wide as they locked with hers for only a moment. Her hands strayed to her whip and keys, and Lucy didn't even pause in her stride while calling out Virgo's incantation.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Keep the Fairies back. Jose's gonna pay."

Makarov sputtered while watching the blonde lash out at Phantom Lord's guild master with a spiked whip, his eyes straying to the pink-haired maid that was standing before him while Natsu and Happy came to stand beside him. "What in the world..."

Natsu's jaw dropped as Lucy's whip wrapped around Jose's throat. Sure, he'd seen Lucy fight earlier in the day, but that was against himself. Someone who was fighting back. Jose had already been defeated by Master Makarov, which meant..."This is - Oh god!"

The snapping of bone and a bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.

"How do you like it, you little fuck?!" Lucy screeched, lashing out again and grinning as his blood splattered around her in an arc when she pulled back her whip. Jose was the one that turned Gajeel against her. He was the one that had been planning this all from the moment she had walked into his guild six months ago.

"We've gotta stop this," Natsu said angrily. "Master, this-"

"That man," Virgo said with a scowl, turning to face the Fairy Tail mages, "Is a monster. He has made my princess's life hell, and now he must pay."

"This isn't the right thing to do!"

"Should you try to stop her, then you will need to go through me first. She is simply making sure he can never hurt anyone again."

"Look," Natsu growled, "I know Jose turned him against her, but that doesn't excuse-"

"It excuses quite a bit," Virgo replied, her voice quiet and her shackles rattling in the wind. "He tried to use my princess to blackmail her father. She isn't a bad person, and-"

"Sure looks like she is!" Natsu bellowed. His eyes strayed to the blonde as the scent of blood floated through the air, widening when he saw the sick, twisted smile that spread across her ashen face as she kicked the Wizard Saint in the jaw. Was this really what Phantom mages were like? What  _Lucy_  was like? He hadn't thought that about her earlier, not even when she had been lying on top of him in the Phantom guild and ready to scream in his ear to deafen him. She had been fighting for something then, her freedom. But this? This wasn't a fight for freedom. It was downright torture.

Makarov took a step forward, his eyes narrowing as the pink-haired maid's muscles tensed. "Child," he said quietly.

"I am no child," Virgo replied. "I will protect her, and stop you, if you take another step."

"She's got hardly any magic right now," Natsu mused. "How are you even out here?"

"Lucy is a Celestial mage," Makarov whispered to himself as he looked back at the blonde. "Regardless of how low her magic gets, it will replenish itself more quickly as long as her spirits are not out, or as long as they take no action."

Lucy sneered as she looked down at Jose, taking in his bloody face as he wheezed and tried to scramble away from her. "You're not getting away from me, you little rat."

"L-Lucy… Stop this…" Jose's voice was trembling, a mere wisp of the power it had once held.

"Stop what?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to one side. She laid her whip across his thigh, then pressed her boot over it, rotating her heel and grinning when he cried out in pain. "That? Oh, that's nothing."

"Why…"

There was nothing Jose could say that would change her mind about this. He deserved to pay for all the pain he had caused. Not just for her, but for Ryos. For Gajeel. She knew that Jose had twisted the Iron Slayer to do his bidding, that he had apparently been holding some ace up his sleeve that he could use to make sure Gajeel would be the perfect weapon against her. This cretin had stood by while Ryos was hurt again and again, instead of pulling him closer and making sure the boy was properly taken care of.

Her foot lifted, and she watched the relief cross his face for only a moment before her boot came crashing back down to snap his femur. Then the other. "You're a sick fuck, Jose. You used me. You used Ryos." She lashed out at him again with her whip, watching as his clothes tore and his skin ripped repeatedly. "You used Gajeel, and you made him torture me!"

Makarov blinked in surprise as Lucy reached down and picked up a large piece of rubble, then dropped it on Jose's arm. Then another on the opposite arm. "This has gone far enough."

"S-Stop this!" Jose cried.

Lucy looked down at Jose's pinned body, slowly pulling the necklace that Gajeel had given her out from between her breasts. "Did you know," she whispered while kneeling next to the sobbing mage, "He gave me a present from that mission you made us take? Brilliant, by the way. Make sure I was loyal to the guild, force us to get closer. You wanted me to feel like the others do. That there was nothing left for me aside from following your orders."

She leaned down, hovering over the man she had once thought was a good guy, someone she could trust. As the blonde held up the tooth that was encased in metal, her eyes hardened. "You wanted a Phantom, Jose. A real Phantom. I killed for you, because you said I had to look out for myself first. I followed your every order, except one."

"Lucy, w-we can fix this!" Jose whispered urgently. "I'll explain t-to Gajeel, and-"

"Oh, Jose," she giggled. "It's too late for that. You made Gajeel into a monster, and he ripped out my heart. You made him your little lapdog."

"N-Never!"

"Don't lie to me," she spat, wrapping a hand around his throat. When his eyes widened further and his brittle body started struggling against the rubble pinning him down, her grip tightened. "You made him hurt me. He tried to kill me, because of you…"

"Lucy, no!" Natsu shouted.

"And you know what?" she hissed, ignoring the way Natsu started yelling or the drop in her magic from Virgo's use of her chains to bind the Fairy Tail mages in place. "I figured something out. I  _am_  a Phantom, Jose. Just like you wanted. Aren't you so  _proud_?"

"C-Can't… breathe…"

"Did you want to be my new daddy, Jose?" Lucy gripped the tooth tighter as her fist slid across his bloody chest. Slowly, keeping her gaze locked with his, the blonde brought her leg over to straddle his stomach.

Natsu blanched as he watched the blonde, then looked down to Makarov when the older man choked. "Gramps," he whispered, still struggling against the layers of chains that surrounded him, "It's not what you think. Lucy's…"

She leaned down a little further until her breath mingled with Jose's. "Phantoms are strong. They don't depend on others. They don't take the lives of others into account. Especially not if the mission doesn't say to take them alive…" She grinned when he shuddered. "You taught me that…  _Daddy_ …"

"Lu…" Jose tried in vain to gasp for air as his vision darkened.

"You told him I was a Black Widow. Well, guess what?" Lucy's eyes slid closed as she plunged the tooth into his heart. The choked, gurgling in the back of his constricted throat shouldn't have sounded so damn beautiful. Her eyes opened when his body went slack, and Lucy slowly pulled her hand from around his throat. "I guess I learned one more thing from you, Jose…"

Natsu felt a familiar burning in the back of his throat, except it wasn't from fire. His green eyes stayed locked on the blonde whose hair was shadowing her face, then narrowed when he saw her sitting up and pushing something back under her shirt and between her breasts. "G-Gramps, she…"

Makarov let out a soft sigh. "Yes, Natsu. She did."

Lucy felt her body trembling while she looked down at Jose. She couldn't let herself believe he was dead. Not yet. Sure, he'd gone still. He didn't seem to have a pulse. But there was only one way for her to be sure that he would really never be able to do something like this again. Just a pierced heart wasn't enough. "Let me see what goes on in that head of yours," she whispered absently. Quivering hands carefully threaded her whip around his throat, and Lucy barely heard the snapping of his neck or his flesh tearing while she slowly pulled his head from his body.

Virgo pulled her chains back as Lucy stood with Jose's head held in one hand, finally freeing the Fairy Tail mages and flying cat. Once she was sure they weren't going to attack the blonde - which, she was surprised Natsu was even standing with how sick he looked - the maid spirit turned to Lucy and let out a soft sigh once she saw the look on her keyholder's face.

Makarov found himself looking up into saddened, tear-filled eyes once Lucy came to a halt in front of him. "Lucy Heartfilia." This wasn't the expression he would have expected based on what he had just witnessed. She had appeared to be a crazed lunatic before, but now that the previous guild master's head was in her hand, that was all gone.

Lucy lowered her tormented gaze to the ground, nodding shortly as she dropped Jose's head at Makarov's feet. The low thud had her stomach churning, but she just buried it. Just like everything else. "I don't expect you to forgive me for what's happened, but…" She paused and forced herself to meet his gaze. "I'd like to ask for a favor."

Makarov knew this look. He'd seen it countless times over the years, but not usually in people around Lucy's age. She was lost, scared, alone… It was the same face he'd encountered when Gray stumbled into Fairy Tail. When Erza had wandered through Magnolia by herself as a little one-eyed girl. When Mira Jane and her siblings came to the guild with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. All of his children had the same expression just before they asked him for a favor that he wasn't sure he could give to the blonde. "What might that be, child?"

A shaky breath spilled past her chapped, blood-speckled lips while she looked at Natsu and Happy. They really had no obligation to help her in the slightest, but she had to hope that Fairy Tail's reputation would hold true for her right then. "Would…" When her eyes locked onto Natsu's, she found she couldn't look at him. "W-Would it be alright if Natsu and Happy finished that mission? The one my father sent Erza on…"

"What?" Natsu whispered in confusion.

Lucy's gaze returned to Makarov, and she found herself smiling when she caught the flash of relief on his aged face before it was masked with surprise. "Fairy Tail can have the reward for returning me to the estate…. So, you can rebuild your guild…"

Makarov honestly couldn't have been more surprised by what she'd asked of him. He'd been worried that she would ask if she could join Fairy Tail. While he normally had no problem accepting new members, especially ones with a dark history that they were trying to make a fresh start from, he just didn't know if he could allow the blonde to be a part of their family. And that, in and of itself, weighed his heart more than he would have thought possible. He was about to look to Natsu, to gauge the Fire Dragon Slayer's reaction, when Lucy swayed and leaned against Virgo. In that moment, he finally took the time to look at Lucy. To see the bloody and torn bandages covering her arms, legs, and a portion of her stomach. Along with the dozens of cuts, scrapes, and gashes littering her flesh. "Goodness, what happened to you, child?"

She let out a humorless laugh while looking down at the damage that had been wrought on her. The sight of her stomach without the Phantom guild mark - now that Jose was dead and the guild was no more - ate at her heart. It was really all disappearing. Everything that her life had been for the past six months was drifting away. The guild. Gajeel. Everything but Ryos. She wouldn't abandon him, that much she was sure of. "I never wanted to go back there," she whispered. "I ran away to find freedom. It's what I told everyone… But nobody believed me. So… I fought to keep myself free." She shook her head as Virgo gently squeezed her shoulders. "It's all I'll ever do, I guess…"

Makarov's heart clenched when he heard the hopeless words drifting through the air. "I will grant your request, Lucy," he said softly. "Thank you."

A bitter scoff spilled past her lips as Virgo helped her start walking away. "Don't thank me," she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear. "I'm the reason all of this happened to begin with…"

"Gramps," Natsu said with a pinch to his brow. "Are you sure about this?"

Makarov reached up and quickly swiped away the tear that started to force its way over the wrinkles beneath his lashes. "I'm sure, Natsu."

"Lushy said she's the reason it happened," Happy said sadly. "Even Levy and her team getting hurt…"

Makarov nodded while he watched the blonde slowly making her way through the debris, how she leaned against her spirit and refused to fall no matter how many times she stumbled. He'd noticed just where her guild mark was at just before it faded with the dissolution of Phantom Lord. "I know, Happy."

"Then why should we-"

"Happy…" A small smile pulled up the corners of Natsu's mouth as he looked over to Lucy when he heard her whimper in pain as she fell. It took a moment, but she slowly got back up and continued on her way. The blonde was a fighter. Even after everything that happened, Lucy was still going. She wasn't giving up. "Let's go help her."

Happy's head tilted to one side as he landed on Natsu's shoulder to rest his sore wings. "Really?"

"Yeah," Natsu chuckled as he started on his way to catch up with Lucy. "We're gonna help her, little buddy. After what she went through, I think she could use a hand."

Lucy smiled weakly when Natsu showed up at her side, then found herself laughing when she was hefted onto his back a moment later. "Natsu, what are you doing?"

"Piggyback ride," he grinned. "You should get some rest."

"Do you even know where we're going?" Happy asked.

Lucy nodded to Virgo and watched as the spirit disappeared, letting her chin rest on Natsu's other shoulder. "Train station," she whispered. "Oak Town."

Natsu groaned at the thought of being on that metal monstrosity for another four hours. Still, he was going to help Lucy. With a heavy sigh, he shifted the blonde higher on his back, then turned his head to look into her tired, cinnamon eyes. "You got it, Luigi," he whispered. "Get some rest, okay?"

Lucy nodded and let her eyes slide closed. "Thank you for this, Natsu," she whispered back.

* * *

By the time Gajeel's tears finally subsided after Ryos left, night had fallen in Magnolia. The air was still around the prone Slayer, and only the scent of blood and settling dust filled his every breath. Destruction. That was all that was left. At least, it was until the scent of rain filtered in, with no clouds in the night sky. "Fuck off, Rain Woman."

Juvia let out a slow breath as she took in Gajeel's bandages, then leaned down and pulled the Iron Slayer to his feet. The way he growled in warning did nothing to deter her. They had all been beaten, and she was seeing things much more clearly since her encounter with Gray Fullbuster. Her legs almost buckled under Gajeel's weight as he leaned against her, but Juvia forced herself to stay upright. "Juvia is sorry."

Gajeel took a slow step through the debris once his arm was draped over Juvia's shoulders. "Then leave me here."

"Juvia is not sorry for helping you," she sighed. "But for what Juvia was ordered to do."

"Jose made us all do shit. It doesn't fuckin' matter now."

"No, Gajeel…" She paused and looked up into his tormented crimson eyes. Never in the time they had been in the guild together could she remember seeing him look like this. He had never been covered in bandages quite like this, and had never been beaten so badly, but this was something else entirely. "Jose sent Juvia and Sol on a reconnaissance mission, to gather information."

"That was always yer job."

"You and Lucy were our targets," she whispered in shame. "He needed proof that you were close, that you had gained her trust."

His eyes hardened, but Gajeel refused to move a muscle. It was taking everything in him just to stay standing, as it was. "When?" he growled.

"Juvia is the Rain Woman," she whispered. "The rain follows Juvia, so Juvia used this ability to obscure Sol's movements. Wherever there was rain… Juvia was…" Her gaze lowered to the ground as her voice trembled. "J-Juvia was there."

"The fuck…" Gajeel's eyes widened and he pushed her away as he thought back to his time with Lucy in the mountains. The rain hadn't really meant much to him at the time, but now… How sporadic it was, coming and going as it pleased, now it made sense. Of course, the first night that really stuck out was when he and Lucy had bitten each other for the first time, but after that… "You're why it rained when…"

Juvia nodded slowly. "When the mercenaries that Jose sent to test her attacked, Juvia made the rain."

"Mercenaries…" Gajeel's blood boiled at the thought that Lucy was really just a pawn in all of it. That Jose had been playing them all along. Ryos had made him see the truth, but this was just more and more proof of how long he'd been duped by the sorry bastard. "He…"

She nodded again. "You were supposed to be by her side, but Jose seemed to approve of Lucy's methods of disposing of them without you there. Juvia and Sol were ordered to keep an eye on both of you, and when Lucy left on her mission to Magnolia, Juvia stayed behind so you would be none the wiser. He documented her every move. And… Even after…"

"How long were you two watching us?" Gajeel snarled. "How much did you see?"

Saddened, tear-filled eyes turned up to meet with furious crimson. "Juvia saw everything, Gajeel. That you… You loved her. Juvia took it away from you by helping Jose."

"You did more than that," he snarled. "You…"

"Juvia is sorry for the pain she has caused. And Juvia will never be able to truly atone for what has happened. But…" She took a hesitant step closer, then froze when his hands curled into trembling fists. "J-Juvia is… Going to join Fairy Tail. Gajeel, you should-"

"No," he hissed. "Hell fucking  _no_!"

"But-"

"You think I'm gonna go be with the fuckers that stole her from me? The ones that didn't fuckin' listen when she  _begged_  them to let her go?! She was everything to me, you watery cunt! EVERYTHING!"

Juvia took a step back, and another when he stalked closer until she was pressed against the remnants of a stone pillar. "Gajeel…"

"You think he twisted  _you_?" he growled. "I almost fuckin' killed her. So save your excuses and all your weepy bullshit for someone who really gives a shit. I loved her more than anything, and he…" He snarled and pushed himself away from her before his hand closed around her throat. "You ain't the only one that bastard played like a goddamn fiddle. Join the fuckin' Fairies if you want, but I'm staying far the hell away from  _everything_."

Juvia quickly swiped her fingers over her cheeks as Gajeel turned to walk away. "Juvia saw something earlier," she called after him. "Lucy killed Jose."

Gajeel paused, a dark grin spreading over his face. "That's my Bunny for ya," he whispered, ignoring the pang in his heart at the reminder that she wasn't his any longer. Louder, he said, "Good. Now fuck off."

With a heavy heart, Juvia turned and started making her way through the debris back toward Fairy Tail. After watching Lucy leaving the area with Natsu and Happy, she had gone to Makarov and asked to join and make amends. Thankfully, he'd granted her request. Now, it was time to start making things right.

* * *

Small footsteps padded over stone and dust and blood as Ryos gazed at the decimated Phantom Lord guild in Oak Town. He could smell the blood from his guild members and from Fairy Tail's, but the most potent scent in the air was Lucy's. Her blood. She'd fought so hard to stay in this place, to stay with him and with Gajeel. She had poured blood and sweat and tears into her time in the guild.

Four hours on the train, hidden in the shadow beneath a seat, and he'd finally found the ability to push his anger to the wayside. That is, until he smelled her blood. It was old, nearly a whole day by that point, but he wouldn't be able to forget the sweet cake-like scent of his sister. And that alone brought back his fury once again. With only the moonlight streaming through the holes in the walls, the young Slayer made his way up to the second floor. To Jose's office.

He needed to know what the monster had on Lucy. If he had pictures from her mission in Magnolia like Gajeel had said, then maybe there was more. Maybe Jose had information like this on Gajeel too. That could be useful.

It took less energy to slip under the door than to actually try and pick the lock, so that was what Ryos did. Jose's office was the only place that hadn't taken a single bit of damage. At least, not over at the wall where the filing cabinets, the books, and his desk were situated. He had a mission, to search every inch of the previous guild master's office until he found all of the bastard's secrets.

It was while Ryos was ripping the drawers from the desk hours later that he found what he was looking for. In a sense, at least. He already had the membership files for himself, Gajeel, and Lucy set off to the side, but what he found in Jose's desk had his heart shattering and his stomach roiling.

Ryos was finally able to see just what had happened the night Lucy was attacked by those men in the mountains. Picture after gruesome picture that showed a play-by-play of her fighting the three hulking men off. How her clothes were slashed. When she seduced one of the men. And then the deaths of each of them at her hands.

The next few pictures ended up having the boy who was kneeling on the floor dropping them in shock. The last thing he'd wanted to see was Gajeel and Lucy having sex, and the fact that they were in the mud while rain beat down on them only made it weirder. Still, he picked the pictures back up and found himself drawn to the matching intensity in Lucy's and Gajeel's locked gazes in the final picture as the Iron Slayer hovered over the blonde. Blood trickled down Gajeel's shoulder and onto his chest. There was a visible bite wound on Lucy's shoulder. Though their eyes were half-lidded, and their smiles were lazy, Ryos knew it in that moment. It was the first bite the two shared. This was when Gajeel, whether he wanted to admit it or not, had realized - at least in some way - that he loved the blonde.

No one should have to see these pictures, Ryos knew that. And as he moved past the ones in the rain, it was only solidified in his mind that Jose deserved a slow, painful death. Several pictures were taken through the small gap in the blinds at Lucy's apartment of her and Gajeel. And there were even a few of Ryos himself in the apartment. The final one, though… It was one that shattered what was left of his heart. It was the family that he'd had with Lucy and Gajeel, all three of them cuddled up to each other in bed the night before Gajeel's mission to Magnolia.

They had everything, and Gajeel took it all away from all three of them. The Iron Slayer didn't deserve any of the love that Lucy had so willingly offered him. He didn't deserve the misplaced respect that he'd gained from Ryos. While he knew that Jose was to blame for twisting Gajeel the way he had, it still fell to the older Slayer to keep his wits about him where the woman he loved was concerned. He'd turned on Lucy, and in that moment, he'd also turned on Ryos.

No matter how much it hurt, Ryos couldn't find the tears to shed over what had happened. He couldn't be with Lucy while she went to her father's to sort everything out. And even when she was finished, assuming everything went well, he still couldn't be with her. Ryos didn't deserve to be with the blonde he'd taken as a sister until he was stronger. It was why he'd left Gajeel in the first place. He needed to be stronger, and when he was reunited with Lucy, Ryos didn't want to be anywhere near that bastard.

"He won't hurt you again," Ryos whispered, his fingers trailing across the image of the sleeping blonde that was nestled between himself and Gajeel. "No one will hurt you ever again, Lucy…"

After taking a deep breath, Ryos set the pictures with the other files he was planning on taking, then continued his search of Jose's office.

There wasn't a single piece of the office intact once he was done. His thoroughness was rewarded when he found a safe hidden beneath Jose's desk. One that, once it was torn apart with his shadows, revealed all of the guild's dues and taxes that had been paid. Along with the money from the bar. Several million Jewels were in bags within the safe, and a small smirk pulled up one corner of his lips. Ryos didn't need all of this money. Really, he wouldn't know what to do with all of it. Still, he knew people who could use it.

"Lucy," he whispered while placing one bag in the duffel that had originally held the medical supplies Gajeel used on Lucy. "I'm not strong, but… I will be. This will help though."

One bag would go to her, to make sure she was financially taken care of while she figured out what her next step was. Another bag was staying with him, so he would have money to care for himself for a change. The rest…

"I'll send it to Fairy Tail," he sighed, carefully setting the files on top of the money in the duffel and closing it. They had been trying to take Lucy away from him, but that was before they understood why she was trying to stay. He knew they weren't bad people. Natsu wasn't, at least. Their guild was destroyed because of Jose, again using Gajeel as a tool. People had been hurt in the war between the guilds, and Ryos knew that Natsu was going to help Lucy get where she wanted to go. The least he could do was send them the money. Then they could put it to good use.

Without another thought, and disregarding the heaviness of his eyelids, Ryos walked to Lucy's apartment. He still needed to get his meager belongings, and to drop off the money he was going to give her. Once he was in the apartment, Ryos found himself being drawn to her bed. He could smell her everywhere, but it was the faint scent of burning wood and apples in the air that let him know she had already stopped by with Natsu to grab a few of her own belongings. And the changed bandages in the trash can. He was too late to see her, but that was what he needed. Lucy wasn't supposed to know that he'd left Gajeel, after all.

Ryos took his time, knowing that she wasn't going to be back anytime soon. He showered, gathered everything of his, and left the bag of money for the blonde on her kitchen table. He wanted to just lie down and go to sleep, to soak up as much of Lucy's scent as he could before he left this place that had grown to be his home in such a short time, but he couldn't. If he stayed, he would never leave.

A glance in the refrigerator had a sad smile pulling at his lips. The cake was still there. The one that he and Lucy had made. Maybe he could just take a slice with him for the road. He did need to eat, after all.

His steps slowed as he finally made his way to the door, and Ryos turned back to look at Lucy's apartment one last time. He didn't have anything of hers to remember her by. Nothing that he could hold onto that would make him feel safe and happy again.

Finishing his cake, he rushed back over to her hamper and pushed through the clothes until he found an oversized black t-shirt that she had worn while Gajeel was gone. It didn't smell like the Iron Slayer at all. Only himself and Lucy.

With the shirt thrown over his shoulder, Ryos looked at the bag of money that was sitting on the table. He really needed her to know what it was for, and maybe just tell her goodbye one more time. One slowly scrawled note later - considering he didn't write all that often, and he wanted to make sure it was legible - and Ryos was finally making his way out of the apartment. He couldn't linger there any longer than he had. If he did, he wouldn't be able to leave at all.

' _I love you, Lucy. We'll see each other again soon, and then… Then we'll be a family again,'_  Ryos thought as he walked out of the building, squinting his eyes against the first rays of early morning light. He was going to make sure he was strong enough to be her protector. To be the brother she needed. And, when the day finally came, Ryos promised himself that he would be the one to take Gajeel down once and for all.

* * *

Lucy winced as she pulled the last of the bandages off of her tired body, dropping them onto the marble counter in the bathroom. She hadn't even seen her father since she'd returned to the estate nearly an hour earlier, and had been instantly ushered off to her room by the staff while Natsu and Happy were led to his study. It didn't matter to her much either way. She was back, and she would just need to wait until the morning to speak with him. He wouldn't be able to ignore her this time. She wasn't going to allow it.

Natsu was going to get the reward for returning her, and then he and Happy would leave back to Fairy Tail.

They hadn't wanted to leave her there, considering she'd told them the story of why she'd left in the first place, and how she had come to join Phantom Lord, during the train ride to Oak Town to gather some of her belongings. But, Lucy had insisted.

She wasn't going to take their advice and join Fairy Tail. She already knew she wouldn't be accepted anyway. The look in Makarov's eyes while they had spoken told her as much. Besides, she didn't want them to be there in the event that she actually had to kill her father. She loved him, yes, but she would be damned if she allowed the man to control her life any longer. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that.

Now, it was only a matter of getting a real shower, one that consisted of more than a water-soaked cloth dabbing at her wounds, and trying to find a way to sleep that night. She'd grown so accustomed to having someone sleep next to her, and with the events of the day, it was going to be even more difficult to finally sleep.

Once the water was warm enough, Lucy sighed heavily and stepped under the spray. A small whimper left her when the water began beating down on her wounds, but she pushed past it. There wasn't anything she could do about the pain, and it really wasn't nearly as bad as she'd felt earlier in the day.

A frown worked itself across her face though when her stomach cramped with enough intensity that it radiated down to her knees.

' _My period isn't starting for another two weeks,'_  she thought.  _'It must be from…'_

Wide brown eyes strayed down to her feet, down to the water that swirled around the drain. Water that was mixed with blood.

"What…" The dirt and grime had already been rinsed from her, and her wounds were no longer bleeding. As Lucy's gaze followed the crimson trail up her legs, her breath stalled. "N-No…"

Two weeks. She wasn't supposed to be bleeding yet. It was like clockwork, no matter what. Every twenty-six days, without fail, mother nature would let her know that she was - thankfully - not pregnant. But this…

Her hands strayed to her flat, bare stomach just beneath her navel, and her knees grew weak as realization hit her like a meteor. If it had been internal bleeding, she knew that it would have showed up earlier. That she would have been hospitalized for it. This, though. She knew this feeling, in a sense. It was definitely her period, far too early, and far too heavy.

As her breath quickened, a tormented sob bubbled up in the blonde's throat. She'd been pregnant. She and Gajeel had created a little life together, one that was equal parts of the two of them. Now, not only was Gajeel gone, so was their child. Before the Lucy had even known it was there, it was ripped away. Before she had even been able to  _decide_  whether or not she wanted to have a baby so early in her life, the choice was being taken from her.

"N-No," Lucy sobbed. "Don't leave me…"

She still loved Gajeel. She knew that before she'd even left Magnolia. She hadn't forgiven him for what happened, but this was something entirely different. If she'd found out that she was pregnant, she knew right then that she would have kept the baby, regardless of what had happened between her and the father. She'd lost Gajeel, and she didn't know if they would ever be together again, but now the child she could have had, the small part of him that had been with her even after she'd walked away, was gone.

Lucy's sobs increased in their intensity as a pair of arms wound around her. The familiar mark across the mermaid spirit's chest, just beneath her collar bones, filled her tear-blurred vision. "A-Aquarius…"

Aquarius looked around the bathroom for a moment - recognizing it as Lucy's bathroom from when she'd lived in the Konzern - then down to the bloodied water, before she pulled Lucy even closer. "It's okay, Lucy," she whispered. The only reason she'd been able to open her gate on her own was because of the bond she shared with the blonde, and the agony that had ripped through all of the spirits from her was more than any of them could bear.

She wasn't going to tell Lucy that this was a good thing, or that she was better off not having a reminder of Gajeel in her life. The blonde had done everything in her power to get back to him, to save herself from anymore pain, and yet again… She was being forced to endure it all.

Lucy wasn't going to go through this alone though. Her spirits were there, and Aquarius knew all too well just how painful this was going to be for her keyholder. Layla had miscarried twice before finally having Lucy, and the mermaid spirit had been there to hold her and tell her it was alright each time. And she would do the same for Lucy.

"I-I lost everything…"

"Not everything," Aquarius whispered.

Lucy shook her head, clutching as tightly as she could to the blue-haired spirit. "B-But…"

"No," Aquarius sighed, shifting so the shuddering blonde was settled on her lap. "Gajeel might not be around anymore, and the baby is gone, too. But you still have your spirits." A small, saddened smile pulled at her lips. "And you'll have Ryos again as soon as you're done here."

"It hurts," Lucy whispered.

"I know, Lucy. But it will get easier. I promise."

Lucy nodded weakly as Aquarius held her, tears streaming down her cheeks and slowly mixing with the bloodied water that swirled down the drain. Everything she'd wanted out of life was gone, but in that moment, she knew… She was just going to have to rebuild her happiness. She would find a way to be happy again.

With the arms of her spirit around her, feeling warmth and love that she'd needed so desperately right then to start mending the decimated shards of her heart, and hearing a small lullaby that she didn't recognize drifting through the air, Lucy slowly felt the pull of exhaustion dragging her under. She was safe now, in Aquarius' arms, and she couldn't have thanked the spirit enough for finding a way to come to her.

* * *

Just like the last time he'd been in Magnolia, Gajeel barely made it to the final train that was heading to Oak Town for the night. A little after three in the morning, and the lone Slayer was back in his own shithole apartment. Not where he wanted to be more than anything, not with Lucy and Ryos. Everything was dull now, grey and dreary and lifeless. Lucy's apartment hadn't been bright and cheery, but it felt like a home. It felt like a place he always wanted to be. The one place he wanted to go after a long mission, to find the blonde waiting for him with a smile and a sweet 'Welcome Home'...

Just like she'd done when he returned from Magnolia last time.

It was all different now.

He was back in his own apartment, with the colorless walls, two bar stools made out of his own iron - though he still wasn't sure why he'd made a second in the first place - his bed with its black and grey bedspread. And the huge pile of metal that was all he ate when he was there. Even when she had been here, things had seemed brighter.

A little over a week ago, he'd slept in that bed with her.

They had showered together in the small stall that hardly fit his hulking frame, and had somehow managed to have sex in it as well.

Everywhere the Iron Slayer looked, Lucy was there. Even during his walk through town, trudging through the streets that were still littered in debris from the guild, he'd seen her. His feet had taken him by the bakery, the one that still smelled just like her.

He could practically see her when he looked down at the countertop as he stood motionless in the kitchen. The way she had looked bent over it, grasping at the edge as she cried out in her release. How perfect the blonde had looked while her whole body quivered under his touch while his fingers trailed down her sweat-slicked spine.

Now, when he looked at the counter, all he found staring back at him instead of her lazy smile and glimmering honey eyes was the book she'd given him. The first present he'd ever gotten. It was open to the page that told Draco's story, with the little bookmark Lucy had drawn on keeping his place. No matter what page he was reading, it always went back to Draco, because he didn't want to move it.

He didn't want to be reminded of everything he'd let go, but it was all there. Right there in the book, and everywhere else he looked.  _'This is my fault,'_  Gajeel thought as he swallowed down the sobs that wanted to break free. His nostrils flared when he caught the faintest hint of sugar and almonds in the air, and the Iron Slayer stalked over to the bed to glare at the mussed sheets.

He never saw the point in making the bed, since it was just going to get fucked up once he went to sleep anyway, but now… He tore the comforter up and brought it to his nose, growling when he couldn't smell her at all. He needed it. He needed the comfort Lucy gave him, because without her, he was lost. He was nothing.

' _I almost killed her… All because I listened to that prick!'_

Seeing everything like this, knowing that Lucy was gone… That she'd left him and just walked the hell away… He couldn't take it anymore. His anger swelled until he was tearing the bedding to shreds and throwing it to the ground.

The bed itself was next, with Gajeel's growl bubbling up until he was roaring wildly and tearing the mattress to shreds with his now metal claws. The frame was slammed into the wall just next to the bathroom. His clothes were torn from the hangers and strewn across the floor. The walls, appliances, everything Gajeel could get his hands on was decimated.

Finally, he returned to the book, his teeth bared and his chest heaving with each anger-filled breath. His trembling fingers trailed across the text before he slammed the book shut and lifted it from the counter. Lucy was gone, which meant he couldn't have any reminders of her. Nothing that would break him more than he already was.

" _No, Gajeel,"_  his inner dragon growled from deep within.  _"Keep it. Always remind yourself of what you threw away."_

"I-I can't…"

" _Don't EVER forget what you've done."_

Gajeel closed his eyes and shook his head, his grip tightening on the tome that held a piece of the blonde. "Please," he whimpered. "Don't…"

" _You deserve this pain for hurting your mate,"_ the dragon sneered.  _"For not seeing reason when she tried to calm you down."_

"Don't you think I fuckin' know that?" Gajeel spat into the empty room. "I know!"

" _She did everything she was supposed to do. Chance after chance, she overlooked all of the pain you put her through, to try and get YOU to come back to her."_

"I know!" Gajeel roared. "Just shut the fuck up! I know this is all my goddamn fault!"

" _And you know that you chose Jose over your mate. You CHOSE to listen to a liar, instead of her. You CHOSE to ignore my warnings."_

"I don't have to listen to this!"

" _You do, you pathetic excuse for a Dragon!"_ Metal shifted violently as the dragon within reared up, his red eyes gleaming brilliantly as his metallic teeth glinted in the brilliant sunlight within Gajeel's mind.  _"You didn't listen to me, or to her, or even to the little Slayer. We ALL knew there was something wrong, but you thought you fuckin' knew better! You chose your anger over her!"_

"I-I know! I…" Gajeel shook his head quickly and pulled the book to his chest. "P-Please… Stop… I don't wanna hear it. I know…"

" _Your reason for living,"_  the dragon snarled.  _"Everything that makes you a better man. Stronger. She was meant for you, and you for her, and you threw it all away, Gajeel! You nearly killed your mate!"_

"D-Dad," Gajeel whispered as he pulled in a shuddering breath. "P-Please. Don't… Yer a right fuckin' asshole, and I love that about ya, but… Please… N-Not now…"

" _I tried to tell you earlier, son,"_  the dragon sighed.  _"I'm just your instincts, and I'll always push you to be the man I know you can be. But this shit? What you fuckin' did? Why don't you take a look around? You bring nothing but destruction, Gajeel. Look what you've done."_

Gajeel's tear-filled eyes opened and he took in the utter devastation in his apartment. Everything he'd never given a shit about before was destroyed. Scrapmetal that he couldn't even remember touching was embedded in the walls. The springs from his bed were littering the floor. The stove was partially sticking out of the window, and his refrigerator was quite literally sliced open.

Everything was ruined, and Gajeel was left staring with wide eyes at just what he'd done in his anger. "A-All I ever do is destroy what I love," he whimpered as the first shuddering sob bubbled up. "I w-won't… won't do that anymore…"

" _So you fuckin' say,"_  the dragon snorted with a roll of his eyes.

"I won't!" Gajeel looked down at the book that he was still clutching to his chest, then rushed over to the closet. To grab the bag that had been tossed in there haphazardly before he'd left on his mission. Before everything had changed completely. "I can keep her here with me," he whispered as he dropped to his knees and pulled the bag open.

There, sitting inside all folded up just the way Lucy had left it, were the sheets he'd taken from her house. The reason he could still smell the blonde. The sheets that smelled like the two of them, that he knew might never lose her scent simply because of how much they had been sweating and rolling around on them. "Sh-She's here… Like this, I-I can…"

" _Gajeel,"_  the dragon whispered as he continued rambling.  _"Don't…"_

Gajeel could keep the heart he could have held onto if he'd listened. To anyone. Lucy. His instincts. Ryos. Hell, even fucking Natsu had been trying to tell him what he was doing was wrong. "M-My Bunny's right here…"

" _Gajeel… This isn't what I meant. Please…"_

An agonized cry left his lips as he finally crumpled to the ground, curling around the book she had given him, and burying his nose in the sheets he'd all but begged the blonde for. He'd taken everything for granted, and ripped his own heart out along the way. Lucy had it, and she always would. He knew that now, just as well as he'd known it before. He lost everything because he couldn't just take a minute and think about what she was telling him. He lost the two people he loved in a single day, all because of his own stupidity.

"B-Bunny," Gajeel sobbed. "I'm so s-sorry!"

" _Gajeel… Don't cry. She'll… Fuck, she'll come back someday, okay? Don't do this to yourself."_

"I-I'll never get to tell her," Gajeel cried into the darkened room.  _"D-Dad… I'm so lost now. Wh-What do I do?"_

" _I'm so sorry, Gajeel,"_  the dragon whispered.  _"It wasn't supposed to be this way…"_

"P-Please forgive me, Lucy," Gajeel whimpered. "Please…"

" _It's not the same, but…"_  The image of his inner dragon paused and extended one claw to pull the Iron Slayer closer. Gajeel could almost feel his father's warm breaths feathering over him, and in his mind, instantly curled up against the cool metal scales.  _"Come here, son. It's okay…"_

" _Dad…"_

" _I know, Gajeel. Just let me hold ya, alright? I'm here…"_

There was nothing left for him any longer, and he knew that he couldn't stay there in his apartment. Still, he was going to let himself have this one moment, just a handful of minutes where he could do whatever he needed to. Once he found it in himself to move, the Iron Slayer knew that he wasn't going to let shit get to him again. He was going to disappear, and no one would ever find him again. He was always alone anyway, so there was no point in trying to be around people any longer. No one cared now, and that was his fault. "I l-love you, Bunny…" he whispered into the quiet room. "Always a-always..."

* * *

_**End of Arc 1** _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not where the story ends.
> 
> As I've said before, Her Phantom has three arcs. So, we're only one-third of the way through it all.


	22. Arc 2: The Meaning of Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Arc 2 of Her Phantom!

 

 

The days passed in a blur for the blonde Celestial mage, with Lucy hardly having the energy or motivation to leave the bed in her father's estate for long. With the recent rending of her heart, between everything that had happened with Gajeel and the loss of their child, she could hardly find the will to breathe. Then there was just how much rest she needed to heal in general.

Apparently, her father had looked in on her at one point while she was asleep, because Lucy woke up hours later to find a doctor hovering over her and carefully tending to her wounds. She'd told the older woman in confidence that she had a recent miscarriage, and asked if she could be examined to make sure she was alright.

Sadly, the woman wasn't as ethical as Lucy had hoped. Well, it was more like her father's pockets ran deeper than the doctor's morals.

Lucy knew something was up when her father had demanded she make an appearance in his office. She refused the pink, frilly dress that the maid had brought to her, and Lucy instead chose something from her bag - that she'd wisely hidden in her room where no one would look - to wear. She pulled off the bandages to reveal the stitches she'd had were mostly dissolved, then went about getting dressed in a grey mini-skirt and white halter top. It took longer than she'd expected to clean the grime from her boots, but once the task was done and she'd placed her spiked whip and keys on her belt, Lucy felt a little more like herself.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she felt a bitter emptiness at the blank space above her navel. The space that she'd once proudly bore the Phantom Lord guild mark. That was all gone, though, and Lucy had to force the painful memories away so she could focus on the task at hand.

A soft knock on the bedroom door drew her attention, and the blonde grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder on her way to answer it. She gave the startled maid a small smile that didn't reach her eyes the way it once had, then turned and stalked down the halls until she was in front of her father's office.

Ignoring the staff that insisted she be announced, Lucy opened one of the heavy doors and entered. She finally stopped once she was standing before his desk, forcing her face to remain blank as he looked up from a contract he'd been reading.

"What are you wearing?"

"My clothes."

"You will go and change this instant," Jude frowned. "No daughter of mine is to be seen walking around looking like a ten-Jewel harlot."

"Funny," Lucy scowled. "You didn't seem to care all that much before I ran away."

Jude gazed at his daughter in silence for several long minutes, then pressed a finger to the pages in front of him. "Your marriage contract is nearly complete, Lucy."

"That's nice," she scoffed. "But I'm not marrying anyone you want me to." That was something the blonde would never budge on. No matter how much pain Gajeel had caused her, she wasn't going to just give everything up and go along with her father's wishes.

This was what she'd run away from to begin with, and even though her heart was in tatters, Lucy still needed to get back to Oak Town and find Ryos. She wasn't nearly ready to see Gajeel just yet, but the younger Slayer would be training with him. It was inevitable that they would see each other again.

"I have already relayed the doctor's examination to Duke Junelle," Jude said smoothly. "And he has still agreed to the marriage, even knowing of your more… unsavory activities."

"You mean that I was fucking someone and got pregnant," Lucy said coldly. "Don't beat around the bush, alright?"

His nostrils flared angrily for a moment before he showed nothing but calm again. "If you wish for me to be blunt, then I will."

Lucy crossed her arms under her chest and waited, her teeth nearly grinding together as her father began to speak again.

"Even though you ran away and started whoring yourself out in that place you called a guild," Jude began, "The Duke has still agreed to the marriage. You will do this to honor our family name, and to honor your mother's memory. This is what she wanted for you, Lucy."

"Don't you  _dare_  bring my mother into this," Lucy sneered. "She never wanted anything like this for me!"

"You don't know nearly as much about her as you think," Jude replied. "But, believe what you will. Your little adventure is done, and now it's time for you to be a responsible adult and to do as I say."

"Well, I might not have known her as well as you, but I  _do_  know that she never wanted me to stop using my magic. I got that from her, and-"

"Enough!" Jude bellowed, shooting up from his chair to silence his daughter's protests. "It seems I've made you realize how much trouble your selfish actions cause for those around you," he hissed. "You are the daughter of the Heartfilias. You are not like other people. You live in different worlds, and that  _trash_ you decided to lie down with would have brought you nothing but pain."

Lucy's eyes narrowed dangerously as her father stalked around the desk to tower over her, lifting her chin to stare defiantly into his eyes.

"A marriage with the Junelle family will allow the Heartfilia Railways to make solid strides to the south. This marriage will ensure our future fortune."

"...  _Our_  fortune?" she sneered.

"And you will give birth to a boy, so he can become heir to the Heartfilia estate. That is all. Now return to your room, and take off that ridiculous clothing."

"I hate to break it to you," Lucy spat as he turned to walk back toward his desk, effectively dismissing her. "But you're dead wrong about how this is going to work."

Jude's eyes widened at the sudden chill that swept through his bones. Slowly, he turned to look at his daughter over his shoulder, and a startled gasp escaped him at the sudden fire in her eyes.

"I didn't come back here to play nice,  _Daddy_ ," Lucy hissed. "I came to tell you that I'm leaving for good. Maybe I should have tried a little harder to get your attention before I ran away, to let you know that I was going to leave, but I already know you would have just ignored me."

"Lucy-"

"No!" she shouted. Her hand shot down and she pulled the whip from her belt. "You're going to listen to  _me_  for a change!"

"Lucy, put that down before you hurt yourself!" Jude took a quick step back when, not a moment later, the whip was sailing through the air and snapping down on the top of his desk. Lucy ripped it away, and his eyes cut down to the deep indentations in the rich wood surface, and the torn marriage contract.

"I learned a lot while I was away,  _Daddy_ ," Lucy said, her limbs trembling with anger. "I learned what a real family was, and what  _you_  did tore them away from me."

"That guild-"

"That guild wasn't my family," she answered, shaking her head. "But I found people that loved me for who I am. I wasn't Lucky Lucy Heartfilia, with them. I was  _just_  Lucy. I found out just how strong I was there, and there were people that made me stronger. That I wanted to protect! I'm not cut out for this pampered bullshit that you're trying to force me into! And I refuse to stand by and let you whore me out just to make a quick buck!"

Her conversation with Gajeel had come rearing its ugly head while she spoke, and Lucy fought with everything she had to keep her father from seeing her cry. Before, the Iron Slayer's promise that she would never be alone, that she would be accepted for just who she was and would never have to deal with this shit with her father, was such a happy thing. And now, in light of everything else, it only made her heart clench painfully in her chest.

But this was what she should have said to her father a long time ago. And maybe, if she had, Lucy wouldn't have lost Gajeel the way she did.

Jude eyed his daughter, his lips parting to deny what she'd said.

"Don't!" Lucy shouted, lashing out at the desk again. "You have no right to tell me I'm wrong! You  _just_ said I'd have to give that sick, perverted fuck a son!"

"Lucy, you need to relax," Jude said warily. "Your emotions are running high, I can see that. The doctor said it could happen after-"

"After I lost the baby?" she sniffled. "Yeah, and do you know what the best part about that is?" She took a step closer so the sunlight from the window highlighted her healing wounds. "I got hurt so badly because I was trying to get away from Fairy Tail. They thought I'd been kidnapped, because you lied.  _You're_  the one that killed my baby."

"Lucy!"

"Stop saying my name like it's going to make a difference!" she shrieked. "You're a murderer, whether you want to admit it or not,  _Daddy_! I fought with everything I had to stay right where I was, to keep my own life that I'd built for myself together! And that miscarriage is on you. You could have had a grandchild, but you don't care about any of that! You don't even care if I'm alright!"

"That isn't true at all," he frowned. "I…"

A bitter laugh skittered across her tongue. "You can't even say it," she sneered. "I know you don't care, because instead of asking how I was doing, or even showing any interest in what was going on… All you could focus on was  _telling_  me what my future is going to be."

"I…" He slowly shook his head, gazing down at his daughter and finding himself speechless. There was so much of Layla in her, that it was painful. It always had been.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Lucy finally whispered. She stepped back when he reached out for her. "This is your only warning, Jude. Don't  _ever_  come looking for me again."

"Lucy, wait!"

"It's too late," she sighed while turning to walk away. "I waited for years, just to have you see me. But, I'll tell you this. If you ever pull some bullshit like this again, I'll kill you. You're dead to me, now."

"You can't mean that!" he shouted, stopping in his tracks before he could even begin chasing after her when the blonde turned a deadly, cold glare toward him.

"I killed the guild master of Phantom Lord," Lucy hissed. "And I've killed enough people to give me nightmares for the rest of my life. I won't hesitate to do the same to you. Phantom Lord made me like this… It's all I am now."

The head of the Heartfilia Konzern stood in silence as his daughter shouldered her pack and stormed out of his office. He turned and made his way to the window, watching as her golden hair finally appeared on the long, winding drive that led away from the estate. She didn't stop to see her mother's grave, and instead moved on a single-minded mission to get as far away from him as quickly as possible.

* * *

By the time Lucy had returned to Oak Town, the debris from Phantom Lord's battle against Fairy Tail had been cleaned up. The town was back to normal, with everyone living their lives as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Oddly enough, it seemed a little more cheery as she walked down the street. Almost as though a dark cloud had been lifted from over the town, and now the residents could breathe easier.

The most important thing, in Lucy's mind, was finding Ryos to see how he was doing. It had been two weeks since she'd last seen the little Dragon Slayer, and she was very curious to see how his training was going.

She wasn't ready to see Gajeel in the slightest, but Lucy just had to bite the bullet on that one. It would hurt, she already knew, seeing the man that she'd loved so soon after everything, the one who had been a father to their little baby and didn't even know it had existed. Maybe it was for the best if they didn't have a child together, when she thought about it though. No matter how much Lucy knew she would have loved that little one, regardless of how things played out between herself and Gajeel, he probably didn't want a child with her.

Still, she wanted to see Ryos. She just wanted to hold him and see his smile. And she especially wanted to make sure he was doing alright.

Before she could look for him, Lucy went to her apartment. She needed to change out the clothes that were packed in her bag, and probably clean out her refrigerator. That is, unless the little Slayer had been by and decided to clean it out for her with his bottomless stomach. She kind of hoped Ryos had done that, because it would mean that he was eating more.

Lucy walked into her apartment, but she hadn't been expecting it to hurt as much as it did. Even here, there were memories of Gajeel. Everywhere she looked, the blonde thought of him. And she hated the Iron Slayer for it. He'd been so ingrained in her life for such a short period of time, and Lucy hadn't even considered just how attached she'd grown to him.

But there was a bag sitting on the table with a little note sitting under it, and that instantly had her curious.

She ignored the bag for the time being, lifting the page that she could tell was from her pile of unused manuscript pages. The writing wasn't familiar in the slightest, but as she started to read it, Lucy was smiling.

_Lucy, I wanted you to know that I miss you already. I went looking through the guild when I got back into town, and I found a bunch of money in the safe. I know, I probably shouldn't have taken it, but it's better if people that deserve it get it, rather than some thief._

_I'm going to keep some for myself, to make sure I can take care of myself and eat. And I want you to have some, too. I know you don't really need it, but I want to help you. You can use it to take care of bills or whatever, until you figure out what to do for work now that the guild's gone. I'm giving some to the mayor, too, so they can fix up the town. There's still bricks and broken roads everywhere right now._

_I can't wait to see you again, Lucy. I hope everything is okay out at your dad's place. Please come home soon, okay? I want my big sister back already._

_I love you.  
-Your little Rogue._

And once Lucy was done reading the letter, and had opened the bag to gape at the pile of money sitting inside of it, she was coming to a startling realization that she had absolutely no idea where Gajeel would have taken him to train. Maybe out in the mountains, where he'd trained her. Or maybe they would go somewhere else.

"Damnit," Lucy groaned. She checked to make sure she had everything, then turned toward the door after placing the bag under her bed. The last thing she needed was for someone to break in and find a bag of Jewels sitting on her damn table.

It was a long shot, but Lucy just wanted to see if maybe there was some clue as to where the hell they might have gone before she had to start searching on her own. And the last thing she wanted was to call Gajeel right then.

She made her way through town, and over to the rougher side, kicking past bottles in the street and ignoring the leers of men standing in alleyways. It seemed her reputation as a former member of Phantom was enough to get them to leave her alone though.

And it made Lucy sick when she heard someone whispering,  _"Black Widow…"_

How that name had come all the way back to Oak Town was beyond her. Still, the blonde stormed into the aged apartment building and made her way up the stairs, down the hall to the door she'd grown accustomed to seeing from the inside.

And while Lucy might have been comfortable enough before to simply walk inside, she wasn't now. Things between herself and Gajeel were rocky, at best. That was really just putting it mildly.

So, Lucy acted like a civilized person and knocked on the door. There was no answer, though. And really, she hadn't been expecting anyone to answer. Assuming Gajeel was training Ryos like she'd asked him to, Lucy would understand the two of them not being in town. Or in the Iron Slayer's apartment.

What she hadn't been expecting was for the door to creak open when she knocked a second time. Or for the place to be covered in dust and utterly empty.

There was no huge, terrifying pile of metal sitting in the corner. No bed or metal stools by the bar. Hell, where there had once been a bar between the kitchen and the rest of the apartment had been gutted. There were holes in the walls, enormous ones. The appliances were gone.

It was just a shell. Lucy didn't need to walk inside to know that Gajeel and Ryos weren't there, that they hadn't been there for some time. She simply turned and walked away from it, not even bothering to close the door.

It wasn't worth it to check the guild, but she went by it anyway only to find that it had been torn down completely. Shops were already under construction where the Phantom Lord guild had once been.

She did, however, check out all the weapon shops in town, and any place that sold metal. And then the magic shops. No one had seen Gajeel or Ryos since before the war with Fairy Tail. The two Slayers had completely disappeared.

And once Lucy was back in the safety of her apartment, sitting on her bed and holding a communications lacrima, she did the one thing she really didn't want to do.

She called Gajeel.

She could already picture his burning ruby eyes. His pierced brow and strong jaw. Wild raven hair. And the blonde could imagine the gritty voice that would rumble through her bones even over the lacrima.

But none of that happened. Instead of connecting, the lacrima lit for only a couple pulses, then dimmed.

Lucy frowned and tried again, only for the same thing to happen. Which could only mean one thing. Gajeel's lacrima was broken. There was no way to contact him, or to find out where he'd taken Ryos.

She gave up on her little mission then, falling backwards onto her bed with a huff of annoyance. After all the prepping she'd done to be able to just talk to Gajeel long enough to find out where Ryos was at, there was nothing.

And while Lucy stared up at the ceiling, taking in slow breaths that she suddenly realized smelled like Gajeel, the blonde started trying to sort out just what she was going to do. She still needed to get some rest, and clean up her damn apartment. It was getting dusty, and she hated dust.

But, Lucy already knew what her plan of action was going to be. She would spend the next week sorting everything out at her apartment, and waiting to see if maybe Ryos would stop by, then she would head out and start the search for him.

With that thought in mind, Lucy forced herself to get up from the bed. She counted out the money that was hidden under her bed, and pulled what she needed from the bag, pushing the rest back under the bed, then stood and made her way to the door.

With money in hand, Lucy made her way down the stairs to the first floor, to her landlord's apartment. And after knocking, she found herself smiling again at the sight of the older man.

"Lucy, my dear. What can I do for you today?"

"Hi, Mister Anders," she said, nearly laughing at the sight of his wrinkled face stretching into a wide smile. "I just wanted to give you my rent money."

"Oh, but didn't you just pay me a little while ago? Or is my old age finally getting the better of me?"

"I did," she nodded.

"Then-"

She handed him the envelope with the stack of bills, watching as he turned a confused frown toward her. "I'm going to be heading out of town next week, and I don't know how often I'll be back."

"Oh?"

"Do you remember Ryos? About twelve, black hair and red eyes, that you met a few weeks ago?"

He smiled while nodding to the blonde. "That little wisp of a boy?" he chuckled. "Hard to forget him, if you see him."

"Well, now that the guild's gone, he's off training," she sighed. "And I can't get in touch with him, so I have to go looking for him."

"He's on his own?"

"Oh… No, he's with, um…"

"Your… friend?"

Lucy blushed at the knowing smirk on the older man's face, and that was when she realized that he actually had the apartment right under hers.  _'Oh god… The things he must have heard…'_

"Y-Yeah," she finally nodded. "So, I'll be waiting here for the next week to see if he shows up to check in, then I'm heading out to find him. I didn't want to fall behind on my rent since I might be gone for a while, so I figured it was best to just pay you up to the new year."

"Well, I'm sure he'll turn up. But, if he comes calling while you're gone, I'll have him stop in to give you a call, dear."

"Oh, thanks Mister Anders. I hadn't thought of that," she laughed. The two talked for a short while longer before she finally wished him a good night. And as the blonde was turning to go back upstairs, she paused when the landlord spoke again.

"Lucy, dear. I want you to take good care of yourself out there, alright? I don't care what anyone says about that guild you were in. You're a good girl, and I know it."

"Thanks," she whispered.

"I have to ask, though. If your  _friend_  comes calling while you're gone… What would you want me to tell him?"

"Um…" Lucy winced while keeping her gaze locked on the ground. "If he's with Ryos, then… Tell Gajeel I'm looking for them."

"And if not?"

"Then… Tell him you haven't seen me since… Y'know."

"I take it things turned a little sour for you two," he sighed.

"You could say that, Mister Anders."

The old man took a step out of his apartment and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Well, sometimes things like this happen, dear. But, I think you're doing the right thing, looking for that little boy. I saw him that day, you know. He looked so sad and lost. But, when he was with you… I didn't think a child that looked like death warmed over could smile so much."

"I love my little brother very much," she smiled sadly.

"Then you focus on your family," he nodded. "And everything else can come afterwards."

Lucy turned and wrapped her arms around his slim, bony shoulders. "Thanks, Mister Anders," she whispered. "I really needed to hear that."

"Of course, dear," he chuckled. The blonde pulled away, quickly swiping at the tears that had welled on her lashes, and he gave her a gentle smile while she turned and started back up the stairs.

' _She really is my favorite tenant,'_  he thought as he made his way back inside.  _'At least I won't be kept up by all that growling now. The things Black Steel Gajeel must have done with her… I've never heard a woman making those sounds before… Oh, to be young…'_

* * *

In the mountains to the north of Oak Town, tucked in a cave that sat etched into the side of a cliff, Makarov Dreyar found the elusive Iron Dragon Slayer. The man he'd caught glimpses of during his guild's battle with Phantom Lord had disappeared as soon as the Rune Knights arrived in Magnolia. Juvia Lockser, now a proud member of Fairy Tail, had easily submitted to questioning, as had the other members.

The only ones that were nowhere to be found when the Rune Knights appeared were Gajeel Redfox, Natsu Dragneel, and Lucy Heartfilia. Makarov knew where the blonde was, and had informed them that Natsu's absence from the interrogation was due to his completion of a request they'd been given before the battle had begun. He was taking Lucy back to her father. Once the Rune Knights heard her name, they'd decided not to pursue her for questioning.

Gajeel, on the other hand… No one had known where he'd disappeared to. It took two weeks for Juvia to finally come to the aged guild master and ask him to find the Iron Slayer. And finally, after another week of searching, Makarov had.

Except the man that was curled up on the stony ground with tattered pants and blood drying on his hands, with a recently killed deer carcass only a few feet away from him, wasn't the man Makarov remembered.

"What do ya want, old man?" Gajeel growled.

"Gajeel Redfox." He watched in silence as the Iron Dragon Slayer, looking a little thinner than he probably should be, reached into a large pile of metal scraps that was off to his side. Gajeel bit down into the large cog he'd picked up while Makarov made his way around the cave to look into a pair of sunken, dull red eyes.

"What the hell are you here for?" Gajeel sneered.

"Juvia joined my guild," Makarov answered. "She's worried about you."

"That Rain Woman's got nothin' to worry about."

Makarov looked around the cave, taking in the spartan surroundings in an instant - the metal and the deer, a pile of bones that had been picked clean, a makeshift bedroll, and a book peeking out of a bag - then turned back to Gajeel. "What are you going to do now?"

That was the million dollar question for the Iron Slayer. "Beats me," he sighed. "I ain't decided." But the truth was that he had decided. He wasn't going to be around anyone any longer. If he was alone, just like he was meant to be, then he couldn't hurt people. He couldn't hurt the ones he cared about, because he wouldn't care about anyone. Not anymore.

What he wanted to do, though, was something completely different. Gajeel wanted so badly to run after Lucy, to find her and just apologize. To beg her to take him back, even if she had to beat him clear across the country just to get the shit off her chest.

He wanted to know that she was alright, and to pull her into his arms again. For her scent to fill his lungs and her lips to pucker on his chest while they laid in her bed.

And he wanted to bring Ryos back home - even though he didn't really have one anymore. Gajeel wanted their family to be together again. But he couldn't do any of that.

"I'll get by somehow," Gajeel finally said.

Makarov sighed, his thick brows furrowing at the sight of the once proud Iron Dragon Slayer in such a diminished state. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Don't see why not," Gajeel grumbled, tossing the metal back into the pile.

"What were you thinking when you picked a fight with us?" Makarov asked.

It hadn't mattered all that much to the Iron Slayer that Jose wanted him to attack Fairy Tail. He'd been letting his instincts guide him when it came to destroying their guild. And he'd remembered what Lucy had said when he asked for her opinion on how to handle his job. Jose wanted to send a message, and he'd done his job, but it had been personal too.

Gajeel was only thinking about one thing that night, no matter what his orders had been. He wanted to protect Lucy, to keep her safe from being forced to return to her father's estate. He'd promised that she would never have to go back there, but he knew that she was gone now. She'd gone back of her own free will, and it was all because of him.

"What did Phantom Lord mean to you? What did the word  _guild_  mean to you?"

The guild hadn't meant a damn thing to Gajeel. And the word itself meant even less. It was just a place for him to make money. He'd been loyal to Jose because the guy had taken him in when he stumbled out of the woods. He gave Gajeel a sense of purpose. But Phantom Lord was nothing more than a place for him to get work, to make money so he could survive.

It hadn't been a place he'd cared all that much about until Lucy came along. The days came and went, and then the little blonde smelling like sugar and almonds had shown up. With a sharp tongue and a body that could make his mouth water, and one hell of a fucking backbone. And with her, came Ryos. They'd been his reason for smiling, but that was gone.

"What did being a mage mean to you?"

Being a mage was everything to Gajeel. That had never been a question, no matter what he'd done after losing his father. No matter how much he hated Metallicana sometimes for leaving him behind, he had always been proud to have inherited the dragon's magic. So many things had gone so terribly fucking wrong in his life, but the only time Gajeel was able to say he was proud of something he'd accomplished, was when he thought about being a Dragon Slayer.

Finally, the Iron Slayer sighed and ran a hand through his hair, wincing when his fingers caught on some tangled sections. "That's more than one question."

"They're all the same," Makarov replied, looking into Gajeel's eyes. "I'm asking… What do you, yourself, think about who you are?"

If it all boiled down to that one question, then Gajeel really didn't like the answer. He hated the person he'd become. He hated what he'd been molded into by Jose over the years.

"Would you have taken people's lives if Jose ordered you to?"

It made Gajeel sick to his stomach to think about the things he'd done for his old guild master. The people he'd hurt. Gajeel hadn't cared before, because he'd been hurting so much more than any of them. He beat people, killed them, whatever he had to so he could get the job done. That was the Phantom way, and eventually it became the only way he could function.

Of all the things that Gajeel regretted in his life, straying from what Metallicana taught him was the biggest. Even though he regretted it, Gajeel had built his reputation with Phantom Lord on those actions - on being ruthless, preying on the weak, and disregarding lives altogether - and he he just didn't know if he could back down from them now.

No matter how strong he thought he was, he would always be running from enemies that wanted nothing more than to see his head on a pike for the things he'd done.

But Makarov saw the answers lying in Gajeel's lowered eyes, and he felt his heart cracking just a little more for the man that so many had dubbed as an enemy. "Are you really that unquestioning?" he whispered. "You see, that's no different than being a puppet."

Looking back to when he had first joined the guild, Gajeel knew that it was Master Jose's doing, that he'd found some way to unravel the younger Slayer and mold him into a killing machine that mindlessly did his bidding. Gajeel was fiercely loyal - a trait he'd possessed before gaining his magic, and that was only intensified with the traits of a dragon - and his loyalty to his father's beliefs was tested when he met Jose. And it was tested again the day he'd hurt Lucy.

Gajeel had been tested, and he had failed miserably.

Maybe there was some part of him that wanted to prove he could get it right. That he could take Jose in place of Metallicana and make the guild master proud of him. It honestly seemed like the most plausible reason for the atrocities he'd committed, and would most likely have continued committing for the guild master, but that didn't make the sinking guilt inside of him lessen.

He'd accused Lucy of using him, but Jose had been the one pulling fucking strings that Gajeel hadn't even known existed, tossing him one way then another.

His pierced brow furrowed as he lowered his head. His eyes closing in shame, Gajeel let out a long breath, but he didn't say anything.

"But I don't think you're as boring a man as that," Makarov said.

"Shut up already," Gajeel growled. "Just leave me alone."

Makarov heard the anger in Gajeel's lowered voice, but he could practically feel the sadness wafting off the mage before him. And it only made him want to draw the boy in closer. "There's no need to throw yourself into the darkness," he whispered.

Gajeel's eyes slowly opened to stare at the ground between his feet.

"So," Makarov grinned. "How about it? Wanna join my guild?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Gajeel roared, a sneer curling his upper lip. What kind of question was that, out of the blue? No way in hell was he going to be with the Fairies. They had caused this whole shitstorm. There were just too many reasons for him to turn it down.

"There are people in this world who prefer solitude," Makarov mused, his mind instantly going to the pink-haired healer that lived out in the woods. "But there is no one who can truly withstand it."

Gajeel's eyes were wide and he was left speechless. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? It seemed the older man could see right fucking through him, no matter what he tried.

Was it really that obvious that Gajeel was running away from everything with his tail between his legs? He hadn't thought that's what he was doing before, when he'd packed up everything in his apartment that was worth taking and left town. But, he could see it for what it was. He'd run from everything, instead of fighting like he was taught to do. He wasn't fighting for the woman he loved, but Gajeel already knew that he didn't deserve to fight for her. Lucy deserved to be happy, and that wasn't something he could give her.

"I'm… I'm the one who  _destroyed_  your guild!" the Iron Slayer spat.

"Let's put all that nasty business aside," Makarov shrugged.

"And… I… I hurt your friends…"

He could still see everything he'd done to the little bookworm and her teammates. How he'd tortured them, broken their bones. What he'd carved into the little blunette's flesh. She'd always have that mark on her, the mark of a guild that no longer existed.

He'd done it for Lucy, to make the Fairies suffer for bringing that bag of shit to their doorstep. He would have done anything for her, he'd thought before.

But now… This old man wanted him to be a part of that guild. Where he'd hurt the members so horribly. Gajeel wondered if the little bookworm could even fucking walk after what he did to her.

"That," Makarov hissed, his eyes burning brightly with his rage, "I will never forgive."

Gajeel wasn't ashamed to admit that he shuddered in fear while looking into Makarov's eyes.

"But," the old man sighed, "If I ignored a young man trying to throw himself into the darkness, it would be myself I could never forgive."

And still, Makarov was drawn back to what he'd thought while looking at Lucy the day she'd killed Jose. When she'd dropped the man's head at his feet. He hadn't thought he would be able to grant her request to join Fairy Tail if she'd asked. But she hadn't, and he'd been so relieved.

Now though, three weeks later, he knew that he'd been so wrong about it all. If Lucy had asked him that day, and if he'd turned her down, he would have been a hypocrite. There she'd been, fighting to get away from people that were working to steal her from a life she'd chosen for herself - something that Fairy Tail as a whole fully supported for its own members - and he would have denied the blonde girl a chance at happiness and freedom.

Juvia had already asked to join the guild, and he'd had no issue with it. The Water mage had been their enemy, fighting against Gray while Lucy was being tortured (from what he'd been told later on), but Makarov had welcomed the blunette with open arms.

Now, it was time to make things right. Gajeel was on a dangerous path as it was, and this was Makarov's chance to do something about that.

Gajeel had to bite his trembling lips to keep his emotions in check. Here this guy was, trying to save his sorry ass. He didn't deserve this chance. Lucy was the one that deserved a chance at happiness. Ryos definitely did. Not him. Never him.

Makarov held his hand out, taking a step closer to the Iron Slayer. "This isn't me saving you," he said gently.

Gajeel's eyes closed more tightly, and he turned his head away from the small Wizard Saint. He didn't want to depend on anyone anymore. Even without realizing it, the Iron Slayer had been depending on Jose to fill his father's shoes. The last time he'd trusted a guild master, it had only ended in pain. So much fucking pain.

"I'm simply showing you the path to tomorrow, Gajeel." He gave an encouraging smile when tear-filled crimson eyes opened to look at him. He knew getting over one's pride very well. This wasn't just a matter of accepting a place as a guild member. Gajeel had to admit that the things he'd done was wrong, no matter how justified he'd thought himself to be at the time, it hadn't been the right thing to do.

And Gajeel knew that. If he agreed to go with the old man, he would see the people he hurt every single day he was at the guild. Maybe he wouldn't apologize, considering he didn't make a habit of doing that, but he could find a way to show them that he wasn't really a monster.

But the question was, did he even deserve this? He'd spent weeks thinking about Lucy, and about Ryos, and every mistake he'd made. Weeks of lying in this cave, only leaving when he absolutely had to, keeping his nose nestled in the blanket that Lucy had given him, reading the constellation book and trying to memorize every page.

She knew all the stories, and he wanted to know them too. It would make her feel just a little bit closer to him.

And, of course, with time, Gajeel had come to have a rather long discussion with his instincts. Hours upon hours of meditation, and he was finally feeling like he understood his inner dragon a whole lot better. Apparently, Gajeel's little disconnect with reality the night he'd trashed his apartment was enough to let the dragon in his head know that he needed someone to fucking talk to.

And it had been a very strange experience to feel like he was wrapped in Metallicana's scales again. The dragon had never been one for hugging, and there wasn't much in the way of body heat he could provide because his scales had always been on the cool side. But Gajeel knew. The times he'd been held were important, nearly monumental.

And he should have known something was up when the big metal bastard had held him while he fell asleep, the night that Metallicana had vanished.

But, Gajeel had been given a chance at life with the dragon, and while he looked at Makarov, he could see something in the older man's eyes that he hadn't seen in a long time. He saw understanding.

Maybe it was that the geezer understood how hard a decision this was for him. Or just that he could see why Gajeel had done the things he'd done in the name of his old guild. Maybe he just understood the loneliness that was eating away at Gajeel's sanity.

"Will you go forward, Gajeel? Or will you stop?" Makarov said softly. "It's up to you to decide."

" _Take his hand, Gajeel,"_  the dragon within the Iron Slayer whispered.  _"Take this step to move on."_

Ever since he'd lost Lucy, Gajeel had noticed a sudden shift in how the dragon talked to him. It was still his dad's voice, still his face and body, but it was softer. He still told Gajeel what to do, but it felt more like he was just trying to guide him, and not ordering his ass around all the time.

" _If not for yourself, then do this for her. If there's nothing you'll do to get her back, then live the life she would have wanted."_

" _What the hell's that supposed to mean?"_

" _Dumbass,"_  the dragon groaned.  _"It means… Join the damn guild and start yer life over. This guy's offering you a fresh start, so take it. And if your mate ever shows back up, then she'll see you're not the same as before."_

But Gajeel didn't want to change. Not much, anyway.

" _Take his fucking hand, asshole! Stop being a stubborn little fuckwad, and grab that wrinkled bitch like you're jerking the hell off! I mean, fuck!"_

And that was when Gajeel found a small hopeful smile on his lips. No matter how much nicer the dragon in his head was being, he was still just like the crusty fucking asshole that had raised the Iron Slayer. Slowly, he reached up and clasped his hand around Makarov's, feeling for the first time just how much power was running under the man's skin.

"I-I think," Gajeel whispered, clearing his throat. "I wanna start makin' up fer what I did... Master Makarov."

"That's what I like to hear," he chuckled softly. He helped pull the Iron Slayer to his feet, then walked over toward the bedroll off to one side. "So, let's get your things together, and-"

"Don't touch that!" Gajeel snarled, shooting forward as Makarov reached down for the bag that held Lucy's bedding and the constellation book. He pulled it from the ground, holding the bag tightly to himself, his eyes widening when the book fell to the ground. "Wait…"

Makarov frowned down at the book, his head tilting to one side as he looked down to the page that displayed an image of a dragon, along with a map of constellations. He picked the book up from the ground, placing the red bookmark back in it's place on the page. Just before he closed the book, Makarov smiled at the sight of a small rabbit drawn on the bottom. "This is…"

"It was a gift," Gajeel whispered, reaching out and taking the book then bringing it to his chest.

"Someone gave you a book for a gift?"

He nodded, gazing down at the leather binding. "I don't like people touchin' my stuff," he said. "Not this…"

Makarov frowned as he watched Gajeel kneel and open the bag, catching a glimpse of a red blanket before the book was carefully tucked inside. "May I ask why it's so important?"

Gajeel stared at the bag once it was closed again. He didn't really have to answer the question, he knew that. But, he just wanted someone to understand him, he guessed. He wanted someone to know what Lucy had meant to him, because he was sure that she would never talk about them to anyone. He was just a painful memory for her now.

"I never got a gift before," he finally said. "And Bunny… Lucy… gave it to me."

"Ah," Makarov nodded. That explained why it was a book on constellations. A Celestial mage  _would_ have something like that in their possession. But, based on what he'd seen where other Celestial mages were concerned, Makarov couldn't understand why the blonde would part with it.

Gajeel slowly lifted his head to look into the aged, deep blue eyes of his new guild master. "Can you tell me somethin'?"

"Possibly."

"If Bunny… I mean… If Lucy ever came to Fairy Tail, you'd let her join, right?"

Makarov's eyes widened slightly at that. "Why do you ask?"

"She told me one night," he sighed. "I forgot about it until now, but we were laying in bed and… She said that she was gonna join Fairy Tail before she came to Phantom. I guess it was somethin' about her mom talkin' about it."

"I don't think she wishes to join the guild now, Gajeel," Makarov said softly.

"But, if she came… You'd let her in, right?" Gajeel asked. "She's… She deserves this a whole lot more than some bastard like me."

"I believe everyone deserves a second chance," Makarov answered. "So, yes. If Lucy ever comes to the guild, I will allow her to join."

"And Ryos?"

"Who is Ryos?"

"H-He was just a little kid," Gajeel whispered. "And I hurt him… But Bunny took care of him. He was like a little brother to her."

"Where is he now?"

"I dunno. She told him to stay with me, so I could train him, but… he left me. Just like she did…"

"Gajeel?" Makarov took a slow step forward, then rested one small hand on the Iron Slayer's shoulder. "What exactly happened that day? I heard Lucy mention something, while she was torturing Jose… Who did he turn against her?"

And when Gajeel's tormented gaze lifted once again, Makarov understood just what had happened, why the Iron Slayer seemed so broken. From the few things he'd said about Lucy before, it was clear to the Wizard Saint that Gajeel cared very deeply for her. And it had been clear that day that, whoever had hurt Lucy, it had torn a piece of her heart out. Jose's death wasn't quick, and it wasn't painless. It was a passionate murder, filled with the pain that had been wrought on the blonde at the man's hands.

"It was… m-me," Gajeel whimpered. "I almost killed her."

"And… if you could take that back," Makarov said softly. "Would you?"

"In a fuckin' heartbeat."

He gently patted Gajeel's trembling shoulder. "They do say that it's the ones we love, that we hurt the most."

"I don't think they meant it like this," Gajeel sighed. "But… you saw her. She was… Bunny was okay, right?"

"When I saw her last, Lucy was beheading Jose," Makarov said softly. "She was far from  _okay_."

"But, she made it to her old man's alright?"

"She did," Makarov nodded. "Natsu escorted her there, and he came right back to rebuild the guild." He paused and looked around the cave one last time, seeing that there really only was the bag in Gajeel's arms to take with them, aside from the metal. "How about we leave this place behind, child?"

"I don't have anywhere to go, though."

"We'll sort all of that out once we're back in Magnolia," Makarov smiled. He wasn't going to mention that a package had arrived at the guild, addressed to Makarov, from the little boy that Gajeel had told him about. That it was filled with money the child had found, and he'd written a letter asking for Fairy Tail to put it to good use, to help people. Maybe it wasn't what the boy had had in mind, but he was going to use some of that to help the Iron Slayer get back on his feet again.

"Yer guild ain't like Phantom at all," Gajeel said as he stood, slinging the bag over his shoulder.

"No," Makarov chuckled as they started walking out of the cave and down the side of the mountain. "Fairy Tail is a home to our members. A family. It's the best place for a fresh start, Gajeel. As long as you're willing to work for it."

"I am," the Iron Slayer nodded. He was going to make something of himself, that was for damn sure. Maybe it wasn't what he'd ever imagined doing before, but for the first time in weeks, Gajeel felt as though he had a purpose. He would find a way to make his father proud of him, in this new guild, surrounded by mages that had once been the bane of his fucking existence.

He was sure things wouldn't be easy, but after all the shitty things he'd done, just to please a man that never should have had his loyalty, Gajeel wasn't looking for the easy way out. He had some serious amends to make, and if being in Fairy Tail was a way for him to start working on that, then it's where he needed to be.

And maybe, one day, he'd find Lucy again. And with her, he knew Ryos would be there. Gajeel hadn't forgotten the boy's threat to kill him, and really… He believed the kid would try to do just that. But, if he could show Lucy that he was a changed man, like his instincts were pushing him to do, that he wasn't a monster… Maybe they would have a chance at being together.

He wasn't very optimistic about it, though. Because he knew Lucy was never coming back. Even if the blonde got away from her father again, she didn't want to be with him. She'd left him behind.

He hadn't forgotten that she promised to never leave him, but he couldn't blame her for it. He'd broken his promise to her, but he wasn't going to break any more.

Even if it meant that the Iron Slayer was alone for the rest of his life, Lucy was the only one for him. He knew that now, just as well as he'd known it before Jose had gotten inside his head. The blonde Celestial mage was the only woman he wanted, and if he couldn't have her, then he didn't need anyone. No one could ever hope to fill the place she'd once had in his life, and in his heart.

No, that was with her, and it always would be.

And even though it pained him to think he'd never see her again, Gajeel was perfectly fine with Lucy being the one that had his heart. He could trust her with it. Sure, she'd ripped it out when she left, but he deserved that for hurting her. And he didn't want to have one in the first place if it didn't come with the blonde.

Just as they reached the forest floor and started on their way back toward town, Gajeel paused and looked up the side of the mountain, to the barely visible cave he'd been staying in. The same cave he and Lucy had shared, when they'd first kissed.

' _I'll make you proud of me too, Bunny. I'll be a man you'd be proud to love.'_

Gajeel sighed and turned when he heard Makarov calling him from a short distance away, making his way toward the older man with his gaze on the ground.

' _If I ever have the chance, I'll never hurt you again. I love you, Bunny… Always always…'_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of this chapter coincides with Episode 29 (My Resolve) with Lucy and Jude's conversation.
> 
> Also, for anyone who's interested, the dialogue between Makarov and Gajeel concerning him joining Fairy Tail was taken from Episode 102 (Soul of Iron). Obviously there were a couple tweaks and additions, but for the most part Makarov's dialogue is from that episode.


	23. Arc 2: Hidden Pain

 

Lucy gave the bartender a small smile of thanks when her glass of whiskey was set in front of her. Now that she was away from her father, and on the other side of the mountain range she and Gajeel had passed through during their mission together, she needed to figure out just what she was going to do. It taken a little over a week just to get through the mountains, and she'd hardly slept while she was in the woods. Memories of the attack she'd gone through kept her up every night with the forest life teeming around her.

So, the blonde had decided that it was a necessity to get a stiff drink and just be around people for a little bit. Not interacting with anyone, because apparently the other patrons still remembered her from that one night she'd slammed a drunk's face into the bar, but that didn't matter to her.

"Anything else I can get for you?" the bartender asked.

Lucy shook her head with a soft sigh. "Not unless you've seen Black Steel around lately."

"Lookin' for him, huh?" the older man chuckled.

"He's with my brother," she said. After a moment, she frowned and added, "You're a different bartender."

"I'm the owner," he chuckled. "Turns out the bastard I had working before was drugging up pretty young things like yourself."

A sharp pang wrenched itself in Lucy's gut when she thought back to the last time she'd been there. How Gajeel had stopped her from drinking her fresh glass. Being so close to him. How his lips had felt while whiskey poured from between them, tasting like metal and cinnamon, all because she'd wanted more.

She wasn't aware that the bartender had walked off to tend to other customers until someone took a seat in the stool just next to her. Lucy ignored them in favor of taking a sip from her glass.

"So, how's that steel wool treating you?"

She frowned at the oddly familiar baritone voice, and her head slowly turned to find out just who had decided to brave coming over to talk to her. Once she saw his face, Lucy wished she'd ignored him.

Blond spiked hair, looking like he'd stuck his dick in a light socket, a lightning-shaped scar running down his stupid, ruggedly handsome face. Thick blond eyebrows and that disgustingly cocky smirk sitting under gleaming cerulean eyes. Laxus fucking Dreyar. One of the few Fairies that hadn't been there fighting against her.

With a wicked sneer, filled with hatred, Lucy hissed, "Better than anything your sad little Fairy dick could manage."

Granted, he didn't know that the mention of anything to do with metal was a harsh reminder of the mage she'd left behind, and the one she hated that she had to search for to find Ryos. But that wasn't the point. Laxus was part of Fairy Tail, and by proxy, their faults were his as well.

Laxus, for his part, just couldn't help but feel a little smug over the fact that Fairy Tail had decimated the blond's guild so completely. And while he didn't know all the specifics of just what had gone down with Phantom Lord, and he hadn't cared to know at the time, it still felt good to rub it in. It was still surprising that the weaklings in his guild had done it at all, but he could only assume that there was such a thing as miracles from time to time.

And of course he hadn't forgotten just how beaten up the woman next to him had been that day, strapped to a pole in the guild. The same look on her face then that he was getting once more. She was oddly attractive like that.

"Sorry to break it to you, Blondie," he chuckled. "But I don't want Phantom scraps. I'm not that desperate."

"I never said I was interested to begin with," Lucy said. She turned to look down at her glass again, her grip tightening on it slightly. "You're the one who was trying to barter for me anyway."

"Meh, lapse in judgment." He glanced at the blonde when her glass slammed down onto the bar after she'd drained it completely.

"You know," Lucy whispered. "It's pretty shitty of one of you Fairies to rub it in my face that I lost my family that day."

Laxus frowned as the door to the bar opened again, and Bickslow, Freed, and Evergreen started walking inside. "Huh?"

"Because of you assholes," she hissed, "My little brother vanished, and I have no idea where to even  _begin_  looking for him. So… Thanks for adding salt to my wounds, you egotistical ass." Lucy pushed away from the stool and threw some Jewels on the counter, then stormed away and shouldered past two men and a brunette woman without so much as a single glance.

"Damn, boss," Bickslow laughed while taking the recently vacated seat. "She looked pissed."

"Fuck her," Laxus sneered.

"Laxus," Freed frowned. "That is not-"

" _That's_  the little Phantom chick that got the guild destroyed," Laxus interjected.

"Even still," Freed sighed, "You-"

"No," the Lightning Slayer said firmly. "Look it's time we sort this shit out with the guild. I'm tired of hearing about how weak everyone thinks we are."

The rest of the Raijinshuu paused and gave each other wary glances as Laxus' brows lowered in anger. They'd hoped it wouldn't come to this, but there was no getting around it.

"We're with you, boss," Bickslow said, laying a hand on Laxus' shoulder over his coat.

"With you, with you," the little totems chirped.

"Yes," Freed nodded. "Until the bitter end, we will stay by your side, Laxus."

Evergreen's lips pursed, but she flicked out her fan and huffed, "Fine. But Erza's mine to deal with."

Laxus looked at the empty glass that was still left behind from Lucy, his gut burning with anger. How could some little blonde bimbo be the cause of so much bullshit for his guild? While he had half a mind to go after her and really lay into her over the shitstorm she'd caused, for some reason, the scent of her tears while she'd left the bar stopped him in his tracks.

She deserved to cry a little over it all. That guild of hers had been nothing but an embarrassment. Much like Fairy Tail would be if he didn't get control over it soon. "So," he said, "Here's the plan… Freed, you're up."

The Rune mage cleared his throat while Evergreen took a seat on the opposite side of Laxus, then explained to everyone the best strategy they could use for taking out the weakest members of Fairy Tail, and wresting control of the guild from Laxus' grandfather.

* * *

Lucy found herself walking through the woods once again, just like she'd been doing for the past few weeks, when she stumbled on a beautiful waterfall in front of a cliff. The last person she'd expected to find there was Loke of Fairy Tail, standing before a grave. She also hadn't expected him to be trembling as she made her way closer. Or for him to turn and look at her with regret swimming in his eyes, with his skin far too pale.

"Loke?" Lucy whispered. She kept her distance from him, but the blonde hadn't forgotten that he'd been the one to let her get away when he realized that she had  _wanted_  to be with Gajeel.

"L-Lucy," the ginger-haired mage coughed. "What are you…"

She rushed forward without a thought when his coughing only increased and he collapsed to his knees. "Loke, what's wrong with you?"

A bitter laugh escaped him as the blonde knelt at his side, a gentle comforting hand resting on his shoulder, over his forest green jacket. "I-I didn't think it would… be like this," he rasped.

"What…"

"I-I'm dying, Lucy." He hadn't expected the sharp inhale to sound just next to him, or to look up and find tears welling in the ex-Phantom's eyes.

"B-But, there has to be something you can do," Lucy whispered. Loke shook his head, his smile so disarming, almost as though this was something he was happy about. This wasn't the same confident man she'd met during the war with Fairy Tail, or even the one she'd gotten a glimpse of when he'd pulled out of the fight and returned her keys.

Loke was different somehow.

But, as he told her the story of just why he was dying, that he was actually Leo the Lion, leader of the twelve Zodiac keys, Lucy understood it. At least, a little bit.

She'd been appalled to hear how he and Aries had been treated by the woman whose grave they were in front of. Oddly proud when she heard that he'd forced Karen to reconsider her actions by keeping his gate open for three whole months. But, his previous keyholder had been killed when she'd tried to summon a second gold key without the right amount of power. And then, Loke told her about the Spirit King's ruling. That he was the one at fault for Karen's death. That he was exiled to Earthland to live until he faded from existence. That he'd been suffering for three years and his life was finally at an end.

And by the end of it all, Lucy's arms were wrapped around the once-Celestial spirit and she was in tears. It wasn't fair, and it hurt her heart more than she knew how to express that he would be forced to do something like this, when all he'd wanted to do was protect Aries, and any other spirits that came under Karen's control.

"I-I guess it's time for me, then," he whispered, staring down at his hand as it started wavering in and out of existence.

"W-Wait," Lucy sniffled. "This can't be it."

"It is… I shouldn't have lived this long, and Karen's death is always hanging over my head. I've just been… waiting for the right moment… to fade out of existence in front of her grave."

Loke's eyes were brimming with tears when he looked up at Lucy again. Who would have thought she would be with him in the end? Someone he'd been an enemy of before, who was, as far as he could tell, still filled with hatred toward Fairy Tail for what they'd put her through?

But he could feel the gentle thrum of power from her keys where they sat on her hip. The soothing warmth from them, the spirits' way of trying to call to their master in support. He remembered that feeling all too well.

Just like he remembered his realization that Lucy was one of the last good Celestial mages in existence, maybe the only one. She'd gained Aquarius' affection, Virgo's unending loyalty and love. She was powerful, but pushed her spirits to the back so she could take a fight head-on, herself.

"T-Tell me," he coughed. "Just one thing?"

Lucy nodded quickly.

"Your spirits… Are they happy that you're their m-master?"

"No," Lucy said, giving him a watery laugh as her tears spilled over, just as his eyes widened in shock. "I'm not their master. M-My spirits are, and always will be, the best friends I've ever had."

"F-Friends?"

She nodded and tightened her grip on the mage in her arms as more of his body wavered. "I-I never had friends growing up, except for Aquarius and Cancer. Even though she's always yelling at me, I still love her. I love all of them."

Loke's lips curled into a grateful smile, and he gently held her hand where it sat on his shoulder. "Thank you, Lucy," he whispered. "For letting me meet a truly beautiful Celestial mage… in the end…"

"W-Wait… There has to be something…"

"No," he sighed. "I… This is it…" Loke hissed in pain, resting wearily in her arms. "C-Could you… let Fairy Tail know what happened… to me?"

Lucy's mouth opened and closed for several, painfully long seconds. Then she shook her head. "I can't do that."

"I underst-"

"I won't let you die."

Loke's eyes went wide at the sudden shift in her voice. Gone was the trembling in her shoulders, though her tears were still running of their own accord. He remembered this look in her eyes though. "Wh-What?"

"I won't let you die!" she shouted. "If you return to the Spirit Realm, your life can be replenished there!"

"It's the law," he coughed. Loke forced himself to sit up, to stop leaning on her so much. This wasn't her burden, but the hardness in her eyes, the sudden fire that burned while her hands curled into fists on the ground… He couldn't help but remember just what Aquarius had told him, with startling clarity.

" _She'll take the burden for us if she can, and sometimes even when it's too much for her to bear alone…"_

"This isn't right," Lucy hissed. "It's… It's not  _right_!"

"Lucy…"

"You didn't kill Karen!" she shouted. "It was an accident!"

He gasped when her arms wrapped around him again. "Lucy, it's okay…"

"Open, Gate of the Lion!" she bellowed. "Let him go back!"

Everything within the once-leader of the Zodiac stilled as her words pelted through the mist around them from the waterfall. Why would someone like her care about him? Why would she  _cry_  over someone like him? He didn't deserve anything from her. He'd been one of the people that had tried to force her back to her father's in the first place. Part of the reason her guild had been destroyed and disbanded. "Lucy, please…"

"Let him go back!" Lucy yelled. When she tried to think about why she was doing this, the blonde didn't want to dwell on it. She didn't want a good person like Loke to die. The only person in Fairy Tail who'd believed her. She knew the real reason for it, though. She wanted to prove that she was still good inside. That Phantom Lord hadn't ripped everything her mother had taught her away. That she still had the ability to care for someone else, because all she'd been able to do for weeks was cry since finding out about the little life that had been inside of her was gone. And question whether she was even good enough for something like that.

"Please!" she shouted. "Open, Gate of the Lion! OPEN!"

Loke stared in wonder at the blonde as her shoulders quaked, her arms tightening around his fading form. "Lucy… Stop this…"

"No!" she sniffled. "I-I won't let you die t-too!"

Crackling golden light arced off of the blonde as her emotions swelled. Instead of the gentle wisps of magic that Gajeel had told her about from her meditation, it was violent, almost like lightning. A large pillar of light shot into the sky, but she wasn't going to give up. She was going to force Loke's gate open, even if it was the last thing she did.

"Lucy, you can't let this much magical power off!" Loke gasped. "Stop this!"

The air pressure shifted, weighing down on both of them, but she refused to let up in the slightest. No, Lucy put more into it. Everything she had, and then some. "Don't you get it?" she hissed. "I'm not letting you disappear! I'll  _force_  your gate open!"

His breath came in harsher pants, and Loke knew it had nothing to do with his life force being sucked out of him. His body was still fading in and out, but as the dirt kicked up around them in a violent whirlwind, he desperately grasped at her slender, barely scarred arms. "This will kill you! Your magic is…" His eyes widened when a light glow started shining from beneath her skin. "Lucy, it's going out of control! You'll just get yourself killed with this! Stop!"

"Never!" she screeched. "What's the point of having magic if I can't protect the ones I love?!"

The wind howled around them, and Loke listened as her words only grew in strength and volume. Even though he could feel her skin slicked with sweat, how her whole body trembled, he saw that same determination he'd seen while fighting against her.

But what did Lucy mean by the ones she loves? Loke sure didn't fall in that category. They didn't know anything about each other. Maybe it was just something she'd meant concerning that little boy and Gajeel, though. Loke still had no clue just what had happened after Phantom was disbanded. No one talked about where Lucy had gone, aside from the fact that Natsu had escorted her back, of her own free will, to her father's estate.

He didn't feel the debris being kicked up around them, biting into his skin, and instead only saw the vortex that was all dirt and golden, glittering magic, all coming from the blonde Celestial mage.

"Open, Gate of the Lion! Open, Gate of the Lion! Open-"

"Stop this!" Loke shouted. "L-Lucy, don't make my sin any worse than it already is!" He couldn't let her kill herself, just to try saving him. He'd already gotten Karen killed with his stubbornness, and he couldn't bear it, no matter how short a time it would be before he died as well, if Lucy met the same fate. Not over him.

"What sin?!" Her eyes were hard and unforgiving, her fingers digging into the fabric of his jacket to keep him anchored to Earthland. "If what you did was against the laws of the Spirit Realm, then I'll  _change_ those laws!"

In an instant her magic winked out and Lucy's grip on Loke faltered. They were pushed apart from one another by an invisible force that felt like a solid punch to the gut from Gajeel's iron, and her eyes went wide as Loke's glasses flew from his face and froze just before they hit the ground.

The cliff beneath them rumbled, but then she saw it. The debris that had been falling through the air stopped. Completely.

"N-No," Loke gasped. The stars in the sky above the cliff swirled until they created solid, warbling rings of light. But this familiar presence, there was no way he could forget this feeling. The water cascading down from the waterfall suddenly bolted up into the air, and as it fell, Loke scrambled across the ground to pull Lucy into his arms. To protect her. She didn't know what she'd just done, but he sure as hell did, and he wasn't going to let her be punished for being a good person and wanting to save him. No matter how pointless it was. She'd tried, and he appreciated that.

"Wh-What's happening?" she whimpered. Lucy's gaze shot toward the sky as the water coalesced into an enormous ball, then a gleaming light exploded. Her eyes slammed shut, and when they opened again, the breath stalled in her lungs at the sight before her.

A giant man wearing armor, dwarfing even the old trees of the forest, stretching miles into the sky. His long white mustache, arms crossed over his chest.

"I-It couldn't be," Loke whispered in awe. "The Celestial Spirit King…"

"Spirit King?" she whispered. "As in… The r-ruler of…" She shivered when Loke nodded, neither mage looking away from the domineering figure before them.

"Old friend," the King's voice rumbled through the clearing, "It is forbidden for us, who have contracts with humans, to kill the possessor of our keys, no matter whether it was direct or indirect."

Lucy's arms loosened from Loke's waist, and she stood with a deep scowl. Even though he sat frozen in place, and his rounded eyes never left the King, she took it upon herself to stand in front of him. She wasn't letting this happen. No way in hell.

"Such a thing is unforgivable," the King continued. "Henceforth, you are no longer allowed to return to the Spirit Realm, Leo the Lion."

"Wait just a damn second!" Lucy shouted. "That's going too far!"

"L-Lucy, shut up," Loke hissed.

"Old friend… Woman… Such is a law that cannot be changed."

Loke noticed the tightening of Lucy's fists in his peripherals.  _'Could it be that he showed up because she said she wants to change the law? For such a petty thing… the King came, himself?'_

"Three years," Lucy said. "For three  _years_ , Loke's been suffering. For the sake of his friends… For Aries… Is there  _really_  a need for him to be punished even more?"

"I, as well, am pained by my old friend's wish…"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Lucy screeched. Her feet propelled her closer to the cliff edge without a thought, but she didn't move more than a few steps from Loke. "Talking about him like he's dead already. He's right in front of your eyes! So, shut the hell up and listen to me… Stache-Face!"

The King's ruby eyes widened slightly. "Stache… face?" he whispered.

"L-Lucy!" Loke gasped. Stars, the blonde had a serious death wish.

"It was all an accident," Lucy said loudly. "An unfortunate accident, and Loke never meant for it to happen! But I  _won't_  stand for  _any_  accusation that he's guilty of Karen's death! I refuse to accept it!"

Loke's tears ran anew as the blonde's muscles tensed and she started glowing with renewed determination, her magic beginning to pulse around her in a gentle halo. "S-Stop this," he said to the blonde. "Lucy, please… I don't want anyone to forgive me. This is my sin, and I-I have to atone. Just… Just LET ME DIE!"

"I won't!" Lucy bellowed. She could feel it within her, the power to do just what she wanted. She could force his gate open and save him. Magic coiled and writhing within her, the blonde forced it out. She needed more. This just had to work. "You won't bring Karen back by dying! All it'll do is bring more sorrow… More pain!"

The King's attention focused more intently on the blonde as her magic caused the cliff she and Loke stood on to crack. Moments later, ten spirits appeared behind the woman, all of them bearing proud smiles, with love shining in their eyes.

Ten Celestial spirits. Five Zodiac spirits, and five of the smaller constellations. Loke had never seen anything like this happen before. In all his time as a spirit, living among the stars, he'd never felt anything like the power Lucy was radiating. "S-So many… How is she…"

"It's not a sin!" Lucy yelled. "Caring for your friends isn't a sin! Loving others and protecting them isn't  _wrong_!"

Lucy turned to look at Loke over her shoulder, right into his wide, teary eyes. "If you die, Aries will be sad. Virgo and Aquarius will be sad… Fairy Tail will be filled with it… And…  _I'll_  be right there with everyone else."

"L-Lucy…"

"You did the right thing, helping me," she said. "You listened when no one else would, and you let me go back to my guild. Because you  _believed_  in me. And now, it's my turn to protect you, Loke. We're not enemies now, and I won't let another life be snuffed out so carelessly when you did nothing wrong!"

The spirits surrounding Lucy turned to face Loke, each of their gazes boring into him. Aquarius, Sagittarius, Virgo, Taurus, Cancer. Even Lyra and the little Canis Minor, Crux, Pyxis and Horologium… He'd ached to see his friends for so long, and here they all were, watching him. The great Lion on his knees, crying, begging to be killed.

"You're innocent," Lucy said. "And innocent lives… They should be protected. Even if it kills me, I'll save you! I won't let you die!" All at once, her magic faded, the power and golden glow surrounding the blonde, gone. Her eyelids fluttered and she stumbled, falling to the ground as soon as her spirits disappeared.

"Lucy!" Loke gasped. He scrambled across the ground and froze when she started pulling herself up.

"All my friends showed up," she whispered, "Because they feel the same way."

"... Friends…" He still had a hard time believing that she viewed her spirits that way, but he'd seen it firsthand.

Lucy winced while looking over her shoulder to the King, still hovering in the air and staring down at her and Loke. "If you're a spirit, too, then you should know better than anyone… Loke and Aries  _feel_!"

Loke caught the blonde when she tried to sit up and nearly passed out. "Lucy, why are you being so reckless? Do you  _want_  to follow in Karen's footsteps?"

"I'm being reckless because I won't… I-I won't let you die. Not when you tried to save me…"

The King's eyes narrowed, and he hummed in thought.

"I'm the reason you got hurt that day," Loke said, shaking his head. "You almost died just trying to get away from us."

"But when you listened to me," she whispered, her breaths shaky and her smile trembling, "You gave my friends back to me. I-I was able to choose for myself, where I went. And… You tried to stop Gray from attacking me. You  _tried_  to do the right thing."

"That doesn't mean you need to die for me," he said.

"And you don't need to die for Karen. Live, Loke… I-I want you to live… Please…"

"If my old friend truly feels this way," the King said, catching the two mages' attention, "Then maybe it is the law that is wrong… Loke…"

The once-spirit tensed slightly, but he didn't let Lucy go.

"You, who sinned for the sake of another spirit, Aries… To protect her from the abuse that still tortures all of our brethren… And you, old friend, who tries so desperately to save him..."

Lucy gently placed her hand on Loke's when she felt him take a shuddering breath, a weary smile on her lips.

"Considering the radiant beauty of this bond," the King continued, "I shall turn a blind eye on this accident. Leo, I now grant you permission to return to the Spirit Realm."

"I…"

Lucy gave the King a weak laugh. "Y-You're an okay guy, Stache-face."

And then, clearly because Loke hadn't already mentally exploded, the King let out a wide grin. Never in all his time had he seen the King smile like that.

"You are pardoned," the King said.

"W-Wait," Loke said as the leader of all the spirits started to disappear. "I…"

"If you still wish to atone for your sin, then lend your support to your friends, and live, Old Friend. I believe  _she_  is a worthy friend. Protect her with your life, Leo the Lion." Once the King's power receded, Loke's glasses clinked on the ground and the frozen water crashed down. The sudden rush of sound in the otherwise silent air was deafening as the waterfall started moving once again.

Lucy smiled as she felt tears dripping down onto her from Loke's chin. "Well, you heard the man," she said softly.

But all Loke could see was the grave in front of them. The vague image of Karen standing just beside it, smiling the way she used to before she'd grown twisted and hateful. Gentle pressure on his chin drew Loke's attention down to the blonde he was still holding. "Y-You…"

Lucy shook her head, placing her fingers over his lips before brushing them across his cheek. "You're safe now," she whispered. "I… I hope it's okay that I'll have your key."

Loke let out a hiccupping sob as he crushed the blonde to his chest. One turned into a whole slew of them as her fingers sifted through his hair and tenderly scraped over his scalp. "L-Lucy…"

"It's okay, Loke," she smiled, her eyes closing in weariness.

The two stayed on the cliff for hours, simply holding one another. Even though Loke had been fading before, and even though he still felt the drain on his life from how long he'd been out, there was a feeling of renewal with the contract he made with Lucy. Once he'd summoned his key and placed it in her hands.

With tears still streaming down his cheeks, and a tender kiss to her sunkissed hair, he whispered, "Forever, Lucy. Just you… I-I won't accept another master. Only y-you, and your children, and grandchildren. O-Only you…"

"Not your master," she smiled. Lucy was nearly unconscious, weakened and barely able to keep her puffy eyes open, but she wasn't going to miss a moment with her new spirit if he was willing to stay. "We're friends, r-right?"

Loke nodded, and then, somehow, he remembered a conversation he'd had with Lucy the first time they'd met. When she'd been on a train to Magnolia and he and Gray had come back from a mission. He couldn't help but smile over it.

" _So," Gray said, "Whose key would you want more than anything?"_

_Lucy grinned. "Leo the Lion… He's the leader of the Zodiacs, so of course I'd want them to have their brother with them. Not to mention lions are loyal, and that's probably one of the best qualities to have in a friend."_

"I'm glad I-I could find someone like you," he finally whispered to the slumbering Celestial mage. "And now you have Leo. Just like you always wanted." His head shot up when a gentle sparkling light glittered in the air just in front of them. Moments later, Virgo appeared, bowing low just like she always did. "Virgo…"

"Big brother," the pink-haired spirit smiled. Her gaze cut down to the blonde he was still holding, to her closed eyes and slow, even breaths. "Allow me to care for our princess. You need to regain your strength."

"Princess?" he frowned. "I thought…"

"We have very few rules from her, big brother," Virgo said while kneeling at his side. "We are not allowed to take human lives, or call her Master or Mistress."

"So, 'Princess' was the next logical step?"

Virgo shook her head and brushed a hand over Lucy's hair. "I started calling her that. Miss Lucy, or even just her name, is also acceptable. Aquarius still just calls her a brat."

Loke laughed quietly, watching Virgo gently stroking Lucy's hair. "She'll never change."

"No," Virgo said. "But since leaving that guild, things have been different for our Princess. You need to speak with Aquarius about the specifics, because she was there and understands it better than any of us."

"Understands what?" he frowned.

Virgo shook her head and started carefully pulling the blonde from Loke's grasp. "You should speak with Aquarius, big brother."

Loke frowned, but nodded and helped to fully move Lucy into Virgo's grasp. After looking at the blonde for a short while longer, he let out a slow breath and forced his gate closed.

When his eyes opened again, Loke's smile was brilliant and his breath couldn't fill his lungs enough. Three whole years, he'd been away from this place. Far removed from the deep blue sky and circling planets and stars. The long stone walkway with its pinkish-purple iridescent sheen. Pillars surrounding the circle in which he stood. And just down the way, past the winding path, was his home. Now nestled in a space between Virgo's and Taurus' houses.

It wasn't known to any Celestial mages, since none ever came to this world, but the spirits had houses, yards, families even. The placement of their homes changed in relation to who they were contracted to, grouping them together when they had the same owner. Aquarius and Scorpio had been in a relationship for four centuries, the longest standing relationship of all the spirits with the exception of the King himself, but hadn't been able to live together in far too long.

Loke took one step, then another, each one leading him closer to the others contracted to Lucy. And even though he could feel his human clothes fading away, with a pristine black suit taking their place, and his hair growing out to the length it had once been, Loke's happiness in his return died once he felt the connection with his master - no, his key holder - completing.

He doubled over and fell to his knees just as Aquarius came floating down the path, stopping in front of him. With one arm holding himself up and the other hand pressing to his heart, Loke's eyes clenched against the onslaught of sadness and pain that lashed through his very being.

"You're feeling it, then," Aquarius said.

"Wh-What's wrong with her?"

She waited until he looked up at her, those familiar forest green eyes still puffy and red-rimmed from his tears before returning from Earthland. And once he did, a deep scowl settled across her lips. "You should know  _exactly_  what's wrong with her."

Loke's eyes widened as the water surrounding the walkway surged into the air and crashed down on him. Pulling him closer to the ledge. He coughed and scrambled back to the center, only to see Aquarius lifting her godforsaken jug of never-ending Celestial water just before she doused him again.

His fingers clawed at the stones with each subsequent hit, and he could hardly hear the bellowed words from the mermaid spirit.

Just when he thought she was done, Loke rolled onto his back to try and catch his breath. Only for the demonic blunette to sit and pin him to the ground, then pour water directly on his face.

This brought waterboarding to a whole new level, and he hated that he wouldn't be able to pass out while in the Celestial Realm. No matter how much he choked on the water, it would only ever heal him, just as it did with all spirits.

Aquarius set her jug on the ground and glared down at the Lion spirit as he coughed up water. Sad little wet cat that he was, she still didn't think it had been enough.

"Wh-What… was that… for?" Loke coughed.

" _That_  was for what you did to Lucy," Aquarius sneered. "What you put her through with your guild."

"Aquarius… you're crushing me…"

"That's the least of your worries," she spat. "Leo, I'm glad that you listened to me, but it was too little, too late."

"I-I tried to get her to see reason and just talk to us," he said. "She wouldn't explain why she wanted to go back to her guild!"

"And you really think she would have just told you? She didn't trust you! Any of you! And I know that's not your fault, but Lucy's been through so much already, and what happened that day…"

She paused when Loke gasped, his back arching as pain rippled across his nerves. Not from anything she'd done, but from Lucy. The pain in her soul.

Next would be the memories.

And while the mermaid spirit wanted him to hurt just a little over the pain he'd caused Lucy, she knew he didn't deserve it all. She and the others had watched it all unfold and cried with Lucy while it happened. And just like every new spirit she acquired, he was going to get a crash course in the woman who now held his key. Aquarius was more than happy that Lucy didn't know this would happen with every spirit she got, though.

"What is this?" he panted. "A-Aquarius… There's so much…"

" _Miss Lucy, your mother passed away last night. The funeral will be in two hours. We must get you ready… Your… Your father says not to cry in front of any guests…"_

" _Papa, I made you a rice ball!" Lucy smiled. She ran out of the room in tears when he yelled at her and threw the present on the ground. 'But… I just wanted to spend time with you… It's my birthday…'_

"So much pain," Aquarius whispered. "So much sadness. This is her life, Leo. You know what's happening…"

" _Aquarius, I'm running away from home. I… I can't be here anymore. He's gonna take you away from me, and…" Lucy sniffled while grabbing the speechless mermaid's hand. "I w-won't let him do that."_

_Gajeel growled and sprung off the ground, catching her around the waist and slamming her beneath him next to the mountain. She kicked wildly, fighting to get free as his hand wrapped around her throat and his fist connected with her face again and again._

" _If you make it out of here alive, remember me," she spat while glaring down at the man whose eyes she'd gouged out. "Lucy of Phantom Lord. I DO NOT take kindly to threats. Your two friends are dead, and you're the lucky winner. Now get out of my sight!" Lucy stumbled away from the woods, her lips and hands bloody, the feeling of the man's body still on her skin, her clothing torn. She saw Gajeel standing at the top of the path, outside of the cave they were camping in for the night. "G-Gajeel…"_

Aquarius watched as tears gathered on Loke's lashes and streaked down the sides of his face. "You're seeing it all, aren't you?" she whispered. "What's brought her to right now… How hard she's fought for everything. It's not pretty, is it?"

"B-But…" Loke whimpered when flashes of her time in Phantom Lord crashed through him, out of order and clashing against one another. Meeting Ryos and finding Gajeel beating him to a pulp. Going to a bar with the Iron Slayer. Her nightmares in the woods, and Gajeel holding her to help her sleep. Making a cake with the little black-haired boy. Waking up in bed, nestled between Gajeel and Ryos. Welcoming the Iron Slayer home from his recent mission, washing the dirt off of him and taking special care of the piercings lining his arms.

All of the small snippets of happiness Lucy had been able to collect in the past year alone, centering around Gajeel and Ryos. Two Dragon Slayers. Her love for the two of them, in a guild that shunned anything close to camaraderie.

And then he saw it, the fighting in Phantom Lord, how her eyes always strayed to Gajeel. Worrying about Ryos back at her apartment. Fighting with Cana. Arguing with Gajeel that she had a right to defend herself and her freedom. Attacking Natsu. Telling Gajeel to make the Fairies suffer, to protect her and send a message that she wasn't going without a fight. Outside, with himself and Gray.

And all of it was so she could just stay in the place she'd chosen for herself.

"I should warn you, Leo," Aquarius whispered. "After everything with your guild… When she… S-Something happened."

The mermaid didn't need to say anything though. He felt every hit Lucy took while she was tortured by Gajeel, the pain in her heart as he tore into her for allegedly using him. How she begged him to believe her.

" _You're trying to kill her," Ryos said, his fists clenching at his sides and quaking with unbridled rage. "You're trying to take her away from me… I… I won't let you take my sister away from me!"_

And just when Loke thought it couldn't get worse…

" _You made Gajeel into a monster, and he tried to kill me," she hissed while wrapping a hand around Jose's throat. "Did you want to be my daddy, Jose… Phantoms are strong. They don't depend on others. They don't take the lives of others into account… You taught me that… Daddy."_

Loke let out a crackling sob as Lucy's memory of Jose's murder streaked through his mind. "Sh-She killed Jose…"

"Leo," Aquarius sighed sadly. "It's about to get worse…"

"How?!" he cried.

And then, there it was. A flash to Lucy in her lavish bathroom, back at the Heartfilia Konzern, with blood trickling down her thighs. Her hand to her stomach, still showing the stitches she'd gotten as a result of her self-flagellation.

" _Gajeel might not be around anymore, and the baby is gone, too," Aquarius whispered, pulling the naked, sobbing blonde into her lap under the shower's spray. "But you still have your spirits. And you'll have Ryos again as soon as you're done here."_

"A… A b-baby?" he whimpered.

"She lost the baby she was carrying," Aquarius whispered once he focused on her again. "She didn't even know she was pregnant, Leo. But it's done something to her, and this mess started because your guild refused to listen to her. You  _know_  we watch. We saw everything that happened. And I can't say for certain if she did it, or if it was someone else… Or even if it just wasn't meant to be. But Lucy thinks there's something wrong with her."

"B-But… she didn't l-look… She s-saved me, and…"

"Because Lucy's still a good person," the mermaid spirit whispered. "The only ones who ever know there's something upsetting her, are her spirits. Lucy buries it all. She forces herself to smile, and sometimes it helps, but now…"

"Where's that boy?" he asked suddenly.

"He was supposed to be with Gajeel," Aquarius said. "She can't find them now."

Loke sniffled as the pain he felt from the blonde settled into a dull ache in his chest. No longer violent, but there and never letting him forget about it.

"Virgo says that Gajeel shouldn't have been able to hurt her the way he did," Aquarius said as Loke started to relax a little. She moved off of his chest and sat on the path next to him. "They bit each other. You… You know what that means, right? She won't tell us."

Loke nodded, slowly sitting up. He swiped a hand over his eyes, then looked at the mermaid spirit next to him. "It means Lucy's his mate," he whispered. "She's supposed to be with him, and… He never marked her though."

"No," Virgo said as she appeared just next to them. "I believe he was going to tell her about it, but our Princess isn't aware of Dragon Slayers' mating instincts."

"We won't tell her either," Loke frowned.

Aquarius scowled at the Lion spirit. "Just because you're back doesn't mean you can start ordering us around, Leo."

"Think about it," he said. "She's hurting over what he did to her, losing that baby, even Ryos… Do you really think Lucy will want to know that her fate is tied to the man who tried to kill her? That he somehow found a way to  _fight_  their fate by nearly killing her?!"

"That still doesn't give you the right-"

"I'm not saying it does," he interjected. "All I'm saying is… I've just pledged my loyalty to Lucy, and her family line. I won't do anything that will cause her harm. She saved me, and I'll spend the rest of eternity repaying that kindness by keeping her safe."

"She doesn't need a knight in shining armor," Aquarius spat. "She needs-"

"Ryos," Virgo whispered. When the two spirits on the ground turned to look at her in surprise, she let out a quiet sigh. "Finding Ryos is her only goal right now. Being able to take care of him, to hold him, will remind her that she isn't a failure. She'll feel loved again."

"Then…" Loke looked down the path toward their homes. "We have to put everything we've got into helping her."

"You're part of the reason she's like this," Aquarius hissed.

"And I'll never forget the pain I've caused her," he said sadly. "But all I can do is use this chance she's given me to help. To be there for her."

Virgo smiled as Loke stood and started making his way down the path, then looked at Aquarius. "Big brother has always been so loyal," she whispered.

"It's a crock of sh-"

"Language," Virgo giggled. "Let him try to atone for his sins, Aquarius. You know it won't be easy for him, feeling her pain."

Aquarius watched the Zodiac Leader's back as he disappeared in the distance. "No," she sighed. "Leo's always been much more affected by it. I remember. Where's Lucy, by the way?"

"I made a camp for her near the waterfall, and set traps around so no one will disturb her sleep."

"Let's just hope she'll sleep through the night this time… Damn, I didn't tell Leo about that… Do you think he'll-"

"You know he will," Virgo nodded. "He always does when his master doesn't have Aries' contract."

Aquarius shook her head as the two started following behind Loke. "Y'know, I really miss that silly little Ram," she chuckled.

"Yes, I do miss the pranks she used to play on you and Scorpio," Virgo teased.

"Oh, shut up! I bet you miss Capricorn the most."

Virgo's smile faltered only slightly before Aquarius pulled her to a stop and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You know I do…"

"We'll find him again, okay? He… Capricorn's out there somewhere."

"It's been years," Virgo said sadly. "Much longer than Loke was gone. He… He couldn't have survived this long."

"We'll find out what happened to him," Aquarius said. "I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as in the last chapter, parts of the dialogue in this have been taken from a Fairy Tail episode, Episode 32 (Celestial Spirit King).


	24. Arc 2: A Job to Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some parts of this chapter coincide with episode 41 (Home).

 

He should have known that things weren't going to be as easy as Makarov had made it out to be. If it wasn't bad enough that he could smell just how little people trusted him, Gajeel could feel their eyes following his every move. His first couple days weren't too bad, he guessed. It was definitely different for everyone to be  _happy_  about fighting one another.

And the fact that he could get a few good jabs in on Natsu definitely made things worth it.

But as he stood in Magnolia park in the middle of the afternoon - and noticing just how lively it was in the middle of the day, instead of the dead of night - Gajeel came to realize that this shit really wasn't going to be easy.

Because Team Shadowgear was facing off against him. Jet and Droy glared at him while standing protectively in front of Levy.

He'd done everything he could to ignore these three, in particular.

Yes, he was ashamed of destroying their guild the way he had, but what he'd done to these mages was beyond fucking twisted. And he'd done it all for Lucy. He only regretted that he would have to see them now - that he would have to look at the little bookworm and know what lay on her scarred stomach beneath her dress - and that every time he did, Lucy would be the only one on his mind.

Still, he couldn't let them know about any of that.

"What's the deal, calling me out here?" he sighed. "I've got a job to get to."

"A job?" Jet sneered.

"You're the guy who destroyed the guild!" Droy shouted. "You've got no right to any of our jobs!"

"You sure are petty," Gajeel said, raising a brow at Levy. She squeaked and hid herself just a little more behind the large tree that, he suddenly realized, was where he'd tortured them. The soft shuffle of her crutches over the grass had his gut curling with disgust.

She was still healing from the damage he'd caused. The fact that she was walking at all was a damn miracle.

"We're gonna settle this," Jet spat, "For what you did to Levy!"

"Stop it," she whispered. "Guys, it's okay. Really…"

Jet ignored her in favor of letting his anger out, rushing toward Gajeel with a quick burst of magic propelling his legs faster and faster until his shoulder slammed into the Iron Slayer's stomach and knocked him back a foot.

"Secret Seeds!" Droy loosed several seeds from his hand toward the spot where Gajeel stood. "Knuckle Plant!" Vines sprouted from the ground and writhed around one another, each bearing a large fist on the end, then swooped down to pummel Gajeel from every angle imaginable.

"Falcon Heaven's Soar!" Jet's foot soared between the vines and connected with Gajeel's jaw, sending him tumbling across the park and leaving a deep trench in his wake. They waited as the dust cleared, and with both Jet and Droy readying more attacks for the retaliation they knew was coming.

Instead, Gajeel slowly sat up, rubbing at the bruise forming on his chin. He didn't try to stand. He didn't try to fight back. Really, what was the point? As far as he was concerned, the three mages in front of him deserved to get their kicks in now, to get this shit out of their systems so they could just leave him the hell alone. This was their only chance, and even though Gajeel knew it was a hit to his pride, he was trying to be a better man.

He could take this and anything else they did. No matter how much physical pain it caused, their attacks couldn't hurt him. Nothing could hurt him worse than what he'd already done, himself.

"What the hell are you playing at?" Droy shouted.

"So you're the little cocksucker that did a number on my guild."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed and cut away from Team Shadowgear toward the sudden scent of ozone and danger in the air in the form of a hulking blonde man with a lightning-shaped scar over his eye, blond spiked hair, and deadly blue eyes staring down at him from several feet away.

"And Jiji let someone join to keep the guild from getting busted up again?" Laxus sneered, taking a short step forward. "That's exactly why people look down on us, you little piece of shit."

Oh, Gajeel knew plenty about the things people said about Fairy Tail. Most of it stemmed from Phantom Lord in the first place. Jose had quite the fucking penchant for spreading gossip about the Fairies, but Gajeel knew firsthand that these mages weren't weak like he'd thought before. Maybe physically, some of them just weren't up to par with him or even Lucy, but in less than a week after joining, he'd seen something in this new guild that he'd never seen before.

It was a home for the members. A real home.

Granted, he didn't feel like he was home, but that was because the people who really deserved to have this chance at life weren't around anymore. Lucy and Ryos had both left him.

"'Fairy Tail ain't nothin' special,' they say," Laxus growled. "'Those guys are already through,' they say… Every bar I stopped in, coming back from my job, I heard plenty that really pissed me off."

Gajeel's eyes went wide as lightning crackled around the man's hair and his clenched fists, then swarmed over his broad chest.  _'This isn't gonna be…'_  All thoughts ceased when fire rushed through his body and his back arched against the sudden electricity coursing through him. He wasn't aware of the bloodcurdling scream breaking past his lips as he crumpled to the ground.

Jet and Droy stepped closer to Levy when lightning crackled around Laxus' fist. "This is  _your_  fault!" he roared. Laxus punched the ground and a ring of lightning sliced through the grass, wheeling toward Gajeel and sending sparks flying in every direction.

There was no stopping it, Gajeel already knew. Even if he'd wanted to move out of the way, the shit was just too fast, too accurate. And even though he knew for a fact that he was screaming again, all he could think about was just who this asshole had to be. Laxus Dreyar, the grandson of Makarov, a lightning mage. That was all the information Lucy had gotten on him when she'd come through Magnolia doing reconnaissance. He was one of the S Class mages who hadn't been around for Phantom Lord's attack, someone they hadn't needed to worry about.

And he was suddenly extremely glad they hadn't had to deal with this asshole or his stupid fucking lightning. Especially when Gajeel realized that the piercings all over his body were conductive.

Jet's eyes went wide when he saw Gajeel lying on the ground in a heap once Laxus' attack dissipated. The Iron Slayer's clothes were scorched in several places and deep, throbbing burns littered the skin around each metal piercing in his arms and face. He was barely conscious as his body twitched and trembled on the burnt grass. And still, when he looked toward Laxus, he could see the blond readying another attack. "Laxus, stop this! You're going too far!"

Droy frowned as a soft whimper drifted through the air when Gajeel slowly pushed himself up from the ground. "Wait a second," he whispered. "He's not…"

"He just took it without defending himself." Levy gasped when Laxus stormed forward and his heavy, lightning-covered boot crashed down onto Gajeel's head. Again and again, the man who'd tormented her and her team let himself be hit, beaten, kicked, shocked. And not once did he try to fight back.

"I'll teach you what happens to pieces of shit like you who try to take my guild down!" Laxus roared.

"Laxus, that's enough!" Jet shouted.

"Jet, stop," Droy hissed. "Just let him-"

Laxus turned to glare at Team Shadowgear over his shoulder, the lightning crackling around him strengthening. "You weaklings stay out of this!"

A large ball of lightning shot from his hand and barreled toward them, the sparks rippling off of it kissing the ground and leaving scorched grass in its wake. Jet and Droy were frozen where they stood, knowing that it would travel between them and hit Levy. But there was nothing they could do and they knew it.

She cringed and tried to shield herself with her hands over her head, her crutches falling to the ground. The hairs on her arms and back of her neck stood. She could feel the soft breeze in the air, the heat from Laxus' roaring magic as it drew closer. And just when she was sure it would have struck her, when the strain on her still recovering body became too much and her legs shook and buckled, a strong arm wound around her and held her close to a hard body she was unfamiliar with.

Levy's eyes shot open when nothing else happened, and she found Gajeel holding her close with one arm, the other extended into an iron pole that smoked from taking the hit. "G-Gajeel…"

His arm shifted back to normal and dropped to his side, his breaths coming in heavy, trembling huffs. "Are you satisfied now?" he asked, glaring at the ground. When no one answered, he let go of Levy and grabbed her crutches, carefully handing them to the Script mage. "I have work to do."

Levy followed him with her eyes alone as he started to walk away. His steps were slow, but even though she could tell he was in enough pain to be limping - and that he probably would have crawled rather than walked if no one could see him - Gajeel stood proud. His head high. "Gajeel, wait. Wh-"

"Leave me the fuck alone."

Jet and Droy came to stand on either side of Levy when Laxus turned and stormed off in the opposite direction.

"H-He protected me," she whispered.

"He protected all of us," Jet frowned.

"Gajeel pushed me and Jet out of the way so he could get to you," Droy nodded, dusting himself off before they led Levy back toward Fairy Hills.

"I still don't like him," Jet muttered.

"Me neither, but…"

Levy looked back the way Gajeel had gone while Jet and Droy continued talking, her brows drawing together. After everything Gajeel had put them through, why would he do something like that? She would have thought he would just let Laxus hurt them. The crazed man that had tortured them and pinned her and her team to the tree they stood beneath, definitely would have. Then again, now that Lucy wasn't in the picture, maybe Gajeel wasn't all that bad. She had been the one, according to what he'd said, that sent him after them that night.

Maybe now he could see just how toxic the blonde heiress was. She was gone, back at her father's estate from what Levy had heard in the guild. And just like she'd told Gajeel before, Lucy had forgotten him.

' _He must feel so alone now,'_  she thought.

"Levy, you ready to go?" Jet whispered. "We should really let you get some rest."

She turned back to look at her friends, smiling up at their concerned faces. "Yeah," she sighed, "That sounds like a great idea."

* * *

Lucy gazed down at the golden key in her hand, lit by the crackling fire just before her. She needed some advice, and while Aquarius was the usual spirit she went to - regardless of the spirit's sass when summoned - the blonde felt like maybe it was time to have a talk with Loke.

It had been nearly a week since she'd saved him, and she'd been trying to let him get some well-deserved time in the Spirit World with everyone else. He deserved the break. Still, even though it was the dead of night and she knew that she was safe and there was no one coming after her, she needed someone to talk to.

And Loke… Well, she really wanted to get to know him better. Not as a Fairy Tail mage, someone she was spying on. But as her spirit, her newest friend.

She bit her lips and sent her magic into his key, closing her eyes and trying with everything she was worth to summon him without an incantation. It was hard, definitely not something that she could do with just any spirit, but the only way to keep expanding her magic was to start working on this.

She felt the instant connection as her magic opened the gate for him to pass through to Earthland, and her eyes opened to find him sitting just beside her in a suit. He looked so much better than before - not tired or worn down or anything else. There was a healthy glow in his cheeks. His soft smile when their eyes locked set her at ease somehow, uncoiling a knot she hadn't realized had been forming in her gut since leaving Phantom Lord.

"Hi, Loke." Lucy blushed when his hands closed over hers.

"I was hoping you'd summon me soon," he whispered.

"I just wanted…"

"I know," he smiled. "And thanks for the time to rest." He scooted a little closer, winding one arm around her shoulders and pulling her blanket a little tighter around her slightly shivering body. "But you needed something?"

"Someone to talk to," she whispered, then winced. "I mean, if this isn't a good time, I'll understand. We never really worked out terms for-"

"I'm free anytime, for you," he chuckled. "Just know that I have the ability to open my gate, still, so I might be out on a date or something… But, no matter where I'm at, if I feel you calling me, I'll come running."

"Oh, you don't-"

"Nope," he grinned, gently squeezing her. "You saved me, Lucy. I'm hopelessly devoted to you now."

She let out a helpless laugh, unconsciously turning toward him just a little more. "Well, Mister Hopelessly Devoted, I kind of need some advice."

"I'm pretty good at that, I think."

"I… Well, you remember that boy that showed up?" she said softly. "When it was you and Gray and me outside?"

"I remember."

"He's… Ryos is missing." She took her time, telling him the whole story of what happened when she'd met Ryos, how she'd taken him in and almost instantly saw him as a younger brother. How she'd told him to stay with Gajeel - and of course a very condensed version of what happened with the Iron Slayer trying to kill her - so he could learn more about his magic, and finally how she couldn't get in touch with Gajeel now, and didn't know where to search for either of them. "I just know he's with Gajeel though," she said, trying to be discreet while brushing away her tears. "And even if I'm not really ready to see Gajeel right now, I… I need to find Ryos."

Loke pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Lucy, then pulled her further into his arms. "I see," he sighed. There wasn't really much he could say though. Nothing that he would willingly tell her, that he knew would hurt her. Lucy didn't need to know that he already knew everything about her. She didn't need to know that he'd quite literally  _seen_  her every memory - each moment with Gajeel, regardless of the intimacy of it, and every second spent with Ryos. Because if Lucy knew that this happened to every spirit she contracted, that they would get such a visceral crash course in who she was, he could tell she would feel guilty over it.

"I've looked everywhere I can think," she said. "And all I'll keep doing is wandering around trying to find him unless I come up with a plan of some sort. But… I can't think of a thing to do, except for what I've already been doing."

"You could always go back home and wait for him to show up," Loke suggested. "Virgo told me that Gajeel trained you for a month, so maybe he's doing the same thing with Ryos and they'll show back up looking for you."

She shook her head at that. "I said I'd come find him after I was done at my father's. I just… I wish I could get in touch with Gajeel." That was a double-edged sword though. Lucy definitely wasn't ready to see Gajeel. Not at all. But Ryos was with him, and that was all that mattered. By the time she found them, maybe she would be ready to face the Iron Slayer again.

"You could…" Loke paused, unsure of what her reaction would be at his suggestion. Still, she'd asked for advice, and if she wasn't going to go back to Oak Town, then this was the only thing he could think to do. "Maybe joining a guild would help?"

"What guild would I join? I don't want to be in a place like Phantom Lord again…"

"There's always Fairy Tail." She went dangerously still in his arms, and the Lion spirit winced. "I know you don't exactly have the best track record with them, but they really are good people. And I know Master Makarov would want to help you find your little brother."

"He doesn't want me in his guild," she said. "After I killed Jose… I could see it in his eyes. I asked him for a favor, and I just… I know he was already trying to figure out how to tell me that I couldn't join the guild, before I asked to have Natsu escort me back."

"But you did that so they could get the reward and have the guild fixed."

"I can't be in that place, Loke. Not after what they did. You were there. You know what happened. After everything I went through, I was treated like a hostage, like some little bartering chip. Those Fairies were in the wrong, and-"

"Lucy, I'm still one of  _those Fairies_ ," he said, drawing back just enough to look into her saddened honey eyes. "I'm still part of Fairy Tail, even as a spirit. That place was my home for three years, and I know the people there a whole lot better than you do."

"Not as well as you think, apparently," she whispered. "You saw how they treated me, Loke. They took everything away from me."

And even though he wanted to argue the point, that she should have just stood up for herself, he couldn't. Because when Lucy had stood up for herself, she'd been ignored by everyone in the guild. And Master Makarov hadn't been around to calm everyone down and get things back in order. He would have listened to her and sorted it all out. But what was done was done.

"You'll need money at some point," he said, trying another tactic. "Getting jobs in a mage guild is a whole lot easier than as an independent mage, that's for sure."

"I've got enough money to sustain myself for a while," she shrugged.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you," he finally sighed. "I can think about it some more, maybe ask everyone else when I go back and see if they have any ideas on what we can do to find Ryos."

"That sounds good."

They sat in silence for several moments, then his nose nestled in her hair. "Lucy?"

"Hm?"

"I'm really sorry for all the pain my guild caused you," he whispered. "If we'd known the truth… We never would have hurt you so much. And I know that an apology from me isn't really worth a whole lot, but-"

"Loke," she said, turning to face him and brushing her fingers over his lips to silence him, "I forgive you. You didn't know, and when you found out, you helped me. I might not have the best feelings toward Fairy Tail, but I forgive  _you_."

He pressed a soft kiss to her fingertips, his brows furrowing in confusion when her hand pulled away as though she'd been burned and burrowed beneath her blanket again. "Will you at least think about it?" he asked. "Maybe even just going and asking them for help. If you wanted, I could go and talk to Master Makarov for you, maybe see if Natsu or someone could take it as a job and help you find Ryos…"

"I'll think about it," she said. It was the best she could offer him in that moment, though she did see the logic in being part of a guild once again. She would have more resources than she did at the moment. She could maybe even have a team of some sort, a group of people that would be willing to help her search for Ryos. More eyes looking for the young boy that was just so damn good at hiding in the first place. Thankfully, Loke didn't try to push the subject after that. Instead, she was able to ask if he could sit with her while she tried to fall asleep. Lucy was immensely glad that he agreed, even moreso when he didn't question why she wanted him to keep watch for her.

* * *

Gajeel made his way through Magnolia, ignoring the stares of those around him while walking toward the Fairy Tail guild. He had to talk with Makarov about that asshole of a grandson he had. He still ached even though it had been two days since that bullshit in the park.

But he was determined to see this shit through. He was a part of this guild now, and the ones who deserved to get a little payback for what he'd done while in Phantom got their kicks in. Now, he could put it all past him. It was done. He was a Fairy, and anyone who had something to say about it would just have to suck it up and deal with the fact that he wasn't going anywhere.

It was when he walked into the guild and smelled almond icing that Gajeel's heart froze. His whole body locked up on instinct. Because he'd know that scent anywhere.  _'Bunny…'_

He couldn't take his eyes away from the ground though. Hell, he could hardly hear the guild over the sound of his unsteady breaths and the blood pounding between his ears. Because Gajeel just knew this couldn't be right. She couldn't be here, at Fairy Tail. She was supposed to be back with her father. Or maybe Lucy had gone back to kill the bastard for ruining their lives and then she was gonna go out and find Ryos.

But here? At Fairy Tail?

He took another slow, shuddering breath, and felt his head spin. All he could smell was  _her_. He could feel her all over again, the way she'd held so tightly to him at night. How her lips used to brush across his cheeks and over his piercings. How he'd always been able to feel her smiling against his skin when she thought he was asleep. Gajeel felt her in his hands, as though she was right there, wrapped in his arms. Her hair between his fingers.

He didn't even realize that his vision had thinned to a point until just before losing consciousness and toppling to the floor right inside the guild, completely unaware of how his entrance and odd behavior had caught everyone's attention.

Mira set the cake she'd made down in front of Erza, then rushed over to Gajeel just when Natsu got there. "What happened to him?" she whispered.

Natsu frowned and stared down at Gajeel, then his nose twitched. His olive gaze slid over to Mira, then to the cake sitting in front of the suddenly ravenous Requip mage. "I dunno, Mira," he said, setting his attention back to Gajeel. "But I guess we should get him to the infirmary." He pulled the limp Iron Slayer up and half-dragged him to the guild's infirmary, nodding to Mira that Makarov should be informed.

He didn't stick around once Gajeel was settled in a bed. Natsu simply walked out and nodded to the guild master while passing him in the hallway.

Gajeel's eyes creaked open just as Makarov entered the room. He heard the older man coming closer, instantly taking in the beds surrounding him and the scent of antiseptic and bandages in the air. "The hell am I doin' in here?"

Makarov chuckled and hopped onto the bed while Gajeel sat up, putting the backs of his knuckles to the Iron Slayer's pierced brow to check for a fever. "Well, it seems you collapsed," he said, though his tone wasn't all that serious. "Wilted like a delicate flower, from what Mira told me."

"Fuck you, old man," Gajeel muttered, shaking his wrinkled hand away.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Makarov asked. His smile faded while looking more closely at the younger mage. "Too much drinking?"

"No. I don't drink that often." Not anymore, at least. When he thought about it, the last time he'd had a beer was with Lucy. He'd never been much of a drinker to begin with, maybe a beer here and there when he was at his old apartment between jobs, but being with her had made him drink a whole lot less. And he definitely wasn't going to be having whiskey anytime soon, that was for sure.

"A medical condition I should know about?"

"I'm fit as a fuckin' fiddle," Gajeel sneered. His ruby eyes narrowed with anger, then dropped to his hands in his lap.

"Then why did you-"

"Tell me she's not here, Master," Gajeel whispered. "Bunny ain't…"

"You mean Lucy?" Makarov asked, raising a curious brow at the timid nod from Gajeel. "She is not here, child. As far as I know, she is still with her father. Why?"

"I thought…" Slowly, biting his lip with unease, Gajeel looked into Makarov's ancient eyes. This man had tried so damn hard to get him here, had searched for a piece of shit like him, at Juvia's request, all because he'd wanted to give Gajeel a second chance. A chance to change for the better and make something of himself. The least he could do was be honest. "I thought I smelled her."

"You…"

"I walked in, and smelled  _her_ ," Gajeel sighed. "I locked up, Master."

"What did you smell though? Lucy is not here." He found himself more than surprised by the serene, though no less sad, smile curling Gajeel's usually frowning lips.

"Bunny… She smells like almond buttercream icing. Sweetest thing in the world. And she tastes better than icing. She surprised me with…" His shoulders slumped with defeat as he thought about what he'd lost once again. "Master, I…"

Makarov sighed and rested a hand on Gajeel's shoulder, waiting until the Iron Slayer looked at him again. "You must have smelled the cake Mira made for Erza," he said softly. "I'm very sorry you had to think about her, Gajeel. You know none of us want you to be in pain here."

"It's fine," he shrugged. "I guess I kinda deserve it for the shit I did…"

"Well, I have a very important mission for you, child. This is something I cannot trust anyone else in the guild to do."

"Why's that?"

"Because I need you to find someone," Makarov said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture, handing it to the mage beside him. "My son, Ivan Dreyar. He was excommunicated from Fairy Tail several years ago, and I've lost track of him."

Gajeel frowned while staring down at the black-haired man in the picture with that ridiculous fucking beard and thick as hell eyebrows. He looked like a goddamn lunatic. "If he was kicked out, why the hell would you care where he is now?"

"Fairy Tail seldomly has to kick someone out," Makarov said. "But what Ivan did was… unacceptable. He was so obsessed with power that he hurt Laxus in the process. I couldn't allow him to stay here so, to keep the rest of the guild safe from what he might do, I had to send him away."

"That still doesn't explain why you want his ass found."

"For two reasons, really," Makarov said. "The first is that Ivan grew up in this guild. My father was one of the four founding members, and Ivan spent nearly every waking moment here until he was old enough to take jobs on his own, then raised Laxus here as well. It is for this reason that I know he has many secrets of our guild. I have to be sure he won't try to use them against us."

Well, that made a lot of sense. Makarov wanted to make sure his son didn't go spouting off at the mouth. Gajeel still wasn't sure why  _he_  would be asked to do this though, unless the old man wanted his son murdered. Then again, Gajeel knew that just wasn't how Fairy Tail worked. "And the second reason?"

With a sad smile, Makarov said, "He is still my son. He may have made mistakes, and I don't know if he will ever want to return, but if Ivan can prove that he has changed… I do want him to come home."

Gajeel stared. He just couldn't fucking help it. This guy had kicked his own flesh and blood out, but still wanted him to come back? Granted, it spoke volumes of how committed he was to keeping the guild safe that he'd give Ivan the boot in the first place, but to want him back was just… "You're fucking crazy, old man."

"I just might be," Makarov chuckled.

"So, why are you sending me?"

"Because you are a new member," he said. "Ivan knows who everyone in Fairy Tail is, aside from you and Juvia."

"Why not ask her, then?"

"I am asking you to do this, Gajeel, because… if Ivan is doing what I truly hope he isn't, then I need someone who won't give themselves away. You still have the same fierceness to you that you had in Phantom Lord. Juvia has changed already."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze shifted to Makarov again. "You mean, you think he's gone off the deep end, and you need a damn monster to face him?"

"Something like that. I need you to use your abilities as a Dragon Slayer to find him. Discover where he is and what he's doing, and report back to me. And if he hasn't changed, your time as a member of Phantom Lord will serve you well. As will your instincts, I imagine."

He wanted to tell Makarov to shove it, mentioning his instincts, but the guy had Natsu in the guild. Most likely, he knew at least a little about Slayers having better instincts than most, even if he wasn't aware of  _why_. And while Gajeel wanted to blame his own instincts for not warning him about the bullshit Jose was doing, he knew that wasn't right. He'd just been too stubborn, too ready to get fucked over once again, to listen to them. Or to listen to Lucy.

"So what yer sayin' is you want a Phantom," Gajeel snorted. "That's the real reason you agreed to me joining, ain't it…"

"Nonsense," Makarov grinned. "I agreed to letting you join because Juvia asked. She vouched for you, Gajeel. Now, will you help me with this?"

"... You mean, I actually have a choice?"

"Of course, child," Makarov said. "Although I am asking you to be more like the man you were with Jose, I am not him. You can tell me no, and I will just find another way to reach out to Ivan."

Gajeel frowned in thought, but there really was no thinking he needed to do. Makarov had saved his ass, and now he needed to repay the favor. And even though he would be acting a little more like the man he didn't want to be anymore, that didn't mean he had to  _really_  be Black Steel Gajeel again. Only if he found Ivan.

"You got it, Master," he finally said, a wicked smirk curling his lips. "I've got some people I can contact, see if they've found him anywhere."

"Excellent." Makarov grinned while hopping down from the infirmary bed, then looked over his shoulder before starting to walk away. "Since you won't be able to take other jobs while doing this for me, I'll make sure you're paid accordingly."

He nodded, watching as the old guild master started for the door. "Hey, uh… Master?"

"Yes, child?"

"Forget about what happened earlier, alright?"

"You mean the delicate wilting?" Makarov chuckled.

"I mean, me flipping shit for thinkin' Bunny came here," Gajeel replied. "I know she won't come. But if she ever does, and she's lookin' for a place to go… It's fine with me if she joins."

"You're a good man, Gajeel. Don't let anyone tell you differently." With that, he left the infirmary and a wide-eyed Iron Dragon Slayer behind.


	25. Arc 2: Almost

 

Ryos was tired. Exhausted, really. But he welcomed this fatigue in his arms and legs as he walked down the beautifully paved street and toward the edge of Crocus. It was becoming his new normal, feeling like this, because he'd been pushing his body as much as possible. He'd been training nonstop since leaving Oak Town, moving from one place to the next in the hopes of finding the perfect place to train.

Every shadow he came across was an opportunity. The smaller the shadows, the better. It meant he could squeeze himself into them and try not to be seen. Every so often, he tested himself by slipping into a person's shadow and moving around with them. Hiding in a corner was all well and good, but if he wanted to grow his magic then he had to expand his abilities. Luckily, his instincts were a huge help in telling him when to try and when to focus more on his magic.

At least Gajeel had taught him one useful thing: listening to his instincts. Ryos refused to count eating shadows, because that had to do with listening to his instincts in the first place.

His gaze shifted to the side when he was near the edge of the city just when his stomach rumbled. Everything toward the center of Crocus was too expensive. Maybe it was because he'd never really had money before, or just that he didn't want to start overspending now that he could take care of himself. Whatever the reason, Ryos didn't see the point in dining at some fancy restaurant where the portions were too small when he could go to a tavern and get way more food for less money.

He slipped into a shadow in the alley beside the tavern, then carefully worked his way across the ground - from crates to the little jutting bits of brick and mortar on the building - until he reached the door. It took a little preparation, but Ryos carefully slid beneath the door and darted toward a dark corner before emerging from the shadows again. He stayed in the corner, waiting and watching the other patrons.

When a blonde woman sauntered across the bar from the jukebox, his crimson eyes widened just a fraction. Only for a moment, though. She turned and revealed sea green eyes, freckles across her nose, and a small gap in her teeth when she smiled. She was thin like Lucy, but her chest was smaller. She was short like Lucy, but her arms seemed more gangly. He knew in an instant it wasn't the blonde he really wanted to see.

He'd known from the second he entered the tavern that she wasn't really there. There was no scent of cake like Lucy in this place. Well, there was cake, but with a single whiff he knew it was chocolate. Lucy didn't smell like chocolate cake.

He wasn't sure how long he sat in the corner just watching the other patrons. It wasn't until a robust woman with dull red hair came over to him with a notepad that he realized he'd forgotten to actually get any food for himself like he'd been planning.

"Hello," he said softly, lifting his chin to make sure he maintained eye contact. It was something else he'd been working on since leaving Lucy's. Ryos wanted to be a little more confident with those he didn't know. "I-I'd like to order some food."

Well, he was still working on it.

"O' course ye do, little lad," the woman said with a kind smile. "An' will yer mum or pa be joinin' ye soon?"

"No," Ryos whispered. "My parents are gone."

Her smile faltered and she took a seat at the table he'd commandeered. "Siblin's then?"

"I've got a big sister," he said with a small smile. "But she won't be here either. I'm off training right now."

Her bright cherry lips pursed and her milky brown eyes narrowed slightly. "A runaway?"

"No," he said quickly. "She knows I'm out here. I'm learning more about my magic, and I needed to train. It's, um… It's kind of hard sometimes, but I'm getting a lot stronger."

"Well that's always a plus, lad," she laughed. "And why would a little slip of a boy like yerself want to get so strong?"

His eyes lowered then and his brow pushed together as he thought back to the last time he'd seen Lucy. How Gajeel had beaten her, hurt her. How she'd tried so hard to get him to see the truth, how blind the Iron Slayer had been. Ryos remembered every detail. Every hit Lucy took and how she tried to keep standing up to Gajeel. Every tear she shed was etched into his memory.

"I want to be stronger," he said, finally looking up at the woman with his eyes burning, "To protect my sister. I never want that bastard to hurt Lucy again."

She set down the notepad and rested her hand on his, and he instantly felt the warmth in her touch spreading to his cheeks. "Someone abused her?" she whispered. "Ye know ye could call the Knights. They'll help her."

Ryos shook his head and gazed at the little gold ring on her pinky that looked to be cutting off the circulation in her finger. "She's not with him now. She's safe. But I swore I'd get stronger and… when I do, I'm going to kill him for what he did to her."

She tightened her hold on his hand, and in that moment he saw just how different they were. He was bony and still underfed, while this woman was brimming with life. "Revenge is'na always the best policy," she said softly. "Someone so young, ye should'na be thinkin' about things like that."

"He hurt her," Ryos whispered. He lifted his free hand and quickly rubbed the back of it over his eyes. "I won't forgive him for that."

"Ye don' have to forgive, but…" She let out a soft sigh when his frown deepened and he looked into her eyes again.

"Lucy saved me," he said. "I would have died without her. She took me in when I had nowhere to go, and-"

"Ah, she's  _that_  sort of sister." She smiled once again, the gentlest little lift in her lips making her cheeks round even more. "I understand, lad. Ye love her with all yer heart?"

"I do."

"Then ye do what ye have to, I suppose."

He nodded slowly and looked down at her notepad. "Could I order some food?" he asked. "I didn't have breakfast this morning."

All at once, her eyes brightened and her smile became impossibly wide. "If ye'll be on yer own, ye should take good care of yerself," she laughed. "And if ye want to get strong, then eatin's the best route!"

He quickly ordered a plate of food, not really caring what it was that he ate, and a glass of milk. The woman had insisted on the milk for his 'bones to get stronger too'. Ryos didn't know if milk really worked that way, but she was nice and kind so he figured it wouldn't hurt to humor her.

When she returned with his food, Ryos looked up at her and smiled softly. "Thank you, miss," he said.

"Such good manners," she giggled. "What's yer name, lad?"

"Ryos, miss," he answered.

"My name is Rosie," she said. "If ye need it, there's a room upstairs. It's not much, but ye look like ye might need a good night's rest in a bed."

"How much?"

"No charge," she said, still smiling while he dug into his food. "Stay as long as ye need."

"I'm just passing through, really," he said after swallowing a mouthful of potatoes. "But I guess a night wouldn't hurt. Thank you very much, Miss Rosie."

She smiled and shook her head while walking away, muttering under her breath, "Such good manners."

* * *

She'd put a lot of thought into what Loke had said. It really was a good idea for her to commission a guild to help her find Ryos. And while Lucy understood his insistence that she ask Fairy Tail for help, Lucy just couldn't. She couldn't try to put her trust in them. She'd read all about their fantastical display in some Fantasia Festival, how they'd covered the whole town in magnificent lightning that ended up accidentally destroying some parts of the town. How they'd needed to delay it a couple days for the guild to repair what they'd damaged in the first place.

Those Fairies were having the time of their lives, while she suffered. They were enjoying festivals and fireworks. They didn't care about her pain. Why would they want to help her find Ryos?

There were other guilds she could have gone to, but the only problem was that she needed an S Class level tracker. Someone who could get past Ryos' magic and find him. If she could avoid having to talk about Gajeel in the first place, that would be preferable. Ryos was her goal, after all.

That was how she found herself carefully making her way through a craggy mountain pass, toward a guild she'd never heard of before. She had a feeling it was a dark guild, but after spending enough time in Phantom Lord, Lucy really wasn't all that scared of dark guilds. Phantom Lord had treaded the fine line between legal and dark well before she'd joined.

But when she'd asked around in some seedy bars just south of Oak Town - she didn't like thinking about how often she'd needed to go into one of those bars for information while still in Phantom Lord - everyone had told her to head here. To a place called Raven Tail.

It was a well-kept secret, apparently, because this was the first time she'd ever heard of it. She could see it in the distance though, and just looking at it made her gut churn. The guild seemed to be carved from a mountain, stretching high into the sky with murderous peaks here and there that would have been natural if they didn't also have windows etched into them. Somehow, it made the place look much more menacing.

It was only a few miles north of Crocus, which meant if this didn't work, she wasn't completely out of options. If it really came down to it, Lucy could send a petition to the Magic Council for assistance in finding Ryos. Maybe.

She wasn't going to be deterred from this though. Lucy had made up her mind that she really did need some outside help, so she was going to ask them. The only thing that made her just a little uncomfortable was the name of the guild master. When she'd asked who she needed to talk to, the resounding response had been  _Ivan Dreyar_. Some relation of Makarov's, she could only assume.

Lucy hefted her pack higher on her shoulder before her feet could hesitate and continued down the path, closer to Raven Tail.

A heavy breeze shot past her, sending her hair flying in wild tendrils behind her. It was fresh though, warm and soothing against her skin, and her eyes slid closed to soak it in. When she looked forward once more, her footing faltered. Well ahead of her on the path was a silhouette she would never forget. Wide shoulders and little black piercings in the swaying forearms. Black feathered tunic and beige cargo pants and heavy metal boots.

She couldn't breathe, for fear he would hear her. Another breeze brushed past, pushing that metallic scent that could only belong to Gajeel toward her. Lucy's fingers shook while brushing a hand over her keys. She couldn't summon anyone though. He'd hear the metal clanging well before she started an incantation.

He didn't know she was there yet, from what she could tell. But he was alone. He wasn't supposed to  _be_ alone. Where the hell was Ryos?

One foot shuffled slightly in the dusty earth, closer to the Iron Slayer still walking away from her. Closer to the one place she wanted to go. She wanted to ask him just what the hell he was doing without Ryos. They were supposed to be out training! Unless Gajeel had brought him to this guild and this was a training exercise.

He stopped on the path and his head turned when the wind changed. He scented the air like an animal, but she couldn't move. She wanted to. Lucy wanted to be able to choose between running after him and running away.

She just couldn't. She couldn't decide, and knowing that even seeing him from a distance like this had her wishing she could be in his arms and wishing she could rip his limbs off to beat him to death with them, only made that indecision worse. She could just barely see how his body tensed while he kept walking. He knew someone was behind him then. Lucy just didn't know if he realized it was her. If he did, would he try to attack her again?

Lucy hadn't realized she was having a hard time breathing - that she was clutching her chest and pulling in ragged, crackling breaths while her eyes never left Gajeel's retreating form - until familiar, gentle hands gripped her shoulders and ginger hair and sunglasses filled her vision.

"Lucy, it's okay," Loke whispered. "It's okay, just breathe."

"H-He's…"

She wanted to ask Gajeel why he'd done this to her. Why had he hurt her? Why hadn't he loved her the way he should have, when she'd never done a thing to betray him? Why had he loved her so much only for Jose to tear them apart? Why hadn't he been with her when she lost their baby?

"He..."

"I know."

Gajeel was right there. He was so damn close! She'd been searching and had found him, but she wasn't ready to deal with the heartache Gajeel had caused her. She couldn't. Not yet.

"It's okay," Loke whispered. He pulled her into his arms, only to find her trembling.

Lucy knew she should hate Gajeel. She wanted to hate him so fucking much it hurt. She hadn't forgiven him for the pain he caused her, but just seeing how his hair blew in the wind, the way he still walked with all the confidence in the world, made her miss the time they'd spent together so much more. She wanted to be with him again. Part of her ached, knowing that they couldn't be together now. He probably still hated her.

What did it say about her, that she wanted to be with the man who'd beaten her? Why did she have to yearn for him, when he'd hurt her so much?

It hurt even more when her arms wound around Loke and she whispered through her tearful sniffling, "I-I can't... Please, get me out of here."

* * *

Shitty mornings for Lucy happened when she woke up still feeling his breath on the back of her neck. Not even her nightmares of what happened in the mountains could compare to the memories she'd shared with Gajeel. She could still feel those strong, calloused fingers gliding over her skin. His lips on hers. The times she remembered how gentle he'd been, with his soft ruby eyes looking down at her, hurt the most. It wasn't when she thought about their sex life. Instead, it was always those times when he'd whispered that he loved her. When he'd held her and kissed her, and when they'd just been two people together.

When he hadn't been Black Steel and she had just been Lucy, things were perfect.

The worst mornings for her happened when she thought about the fleeting time she'd had with Ryos and Gajeel. It hadn't been nearly enough time, and yet she'd fallen so deeply in love with the little boy that not having him in her life anymore had ripped her soul in half.

And no matter how badly she tried to forget about those good times, if only for a little while, so she could focus once more on getting through the day, it didn't work.

Lucy spent her days trudging through forests and across plains, searching from one side of the country to the other. She hadn't a clue where the hell Gajeel would have taken Ryos, but she was tempted to go back to Oak Town just to check in with her landlord and see if Ryos had come back yet. If he hadn't, then maybe she could scour the whole mountain range just north of town looking for him. She would check every mountain peak, each and every cave. The one thing Lucy had really tried to avoid was going to places where she shared memories with Gajeel in that mountain pass. The waterfall, especially.

And that cave they'd stayed in when she'd been attacked.

But if it meant being able to find Ryos, she would deal with the bad memories and the heartache. She just needed to find him. She was tempted to go back to Raven Tail, just to confront Gajeel and find out where Ryos was at, but she knew he wasn't there. Lucy could feel it. Whatever Gajeel had been doing there, it hadn't been a permanent thing.

She didn't know why she felt that way, though. Obviously she didn't know who he really was.

For the time being, all Lucy could do was stop in at a local tavern just inside Crocus, where the drinks were still cheap. She'd never been to the nation's capital before, but this wasn't a time for sightseeing. If anything, she could always come back with Ryos sometime and they could take in all the sights together.

She took a seat and ordered a beer from the rotund, red-haired woman behind the bar. There weren't many people in at four in the afternoon, but it wasn't as though Lucy was planning on sticking around to get shitfaced. She just needed to ask some questions, rest her feet for a little bit, and then get a cheap room for the night so she could get a proper shower.

Lucy really didn't care if she stunk to the high heavens right then, even if another patron came and took a seat at the bar with an empty stool between them. Then again, maybe that was why the person didn't try sitting right next to her. The best she'd been able to manage was a quick wipedown with a wet cloth and a little perfume before getting into the city.

She sat in silence, listening to the quiet hum of soft music from the jukebox in the corner and the hushed conversations of others in the bar. The bartender passed by with a mug of beer for the person beside her, but Lucy didn't pay them any attention.

"Ye look like yer searchin' fer someone, lass," the bartender said. Lucy looked up to find gentle eyes, a milky brown that reminded her of the bog she'd wrestled through a week prior, gazing at her.

"Can people really look like that?" she asked.

"O' course," the woman laughed. "When ye've been at this long enough, ye get a feelin' about people."

Lucy took a sip of her beer and nodded. "I'm looking for my little brother," she said. "He's about twelve with black hair and red eyes. Sickly looking little thing, really pale. But he's really good at hiding."

"Sickly, ye say?"

Lucy turned her mug in the ring of condensation on the bar top and smiled at the little droplets gliding down the glass. "His name is Ryos." She wished she had a picture to show people when asking if they'd seen him. There was only so much her descriptions could do, and even when people thought they might have seen him, she knew that Ryos had the ability to really blend in and be forgettable in a crowd if he really wanted to.

She didn't want to get her hopes up, but when the bartender was silent Lucy couldn't help but look up into her suddenly wide eyes.

"Sweet little boy?" she asked, setting down the mug she'd been drying off. "Sticks himself in the shadows?"

"Y-Yes," Lucy whispered.

"He was here, lass," she said. Lucy stilled, her muscles tight and rigid in an instant. "Jus' passin' through, he said. Had that same look about 'im as ye've got. Lookin' for someone."

"Did he say where he was going? Was there anyone with him?" she asked. "Who was he looking for? When was he here?" She didn't care if she drew the attention of everyone in the bar. This was a lead. It meant she was a step closer to finding Ryos. Just one step closer to being with him again.

She didn't even care about the eyes she felt boring into the side of her head from the other person at the bar. So the hell what if she was ruining his quiet afternoon ale? Ryos was a whole lot more important than a drink, and this was just what she needed to feel like her running away from Gajeel a few days prior wasn't the wrong decision. Because when she'd thought about it, if she'd talked to Gajeel, or even had Loke or Virgo talk to him for her, Lucy could have found out if Ryos was waiting at a hotel somewhere while he went into that guild.

"Whoa," the bartender laughed. She placed her hands on Lucy's just before she could knock over her mug of beer. "There's no' much to tell. He came and was so quiet I'd've missed the little wisp if I had'na known the shadow in the corner was too big."

"But where-"

"He did'na say. It was a week ago," the bartender said. Lucy's shoulders slumped. "Wha's yer name?"

"Lucy," she whispered.

"He said he was lookin' for his sister, Lucy. Said he was gettin' stronger but he missed her."

She pulled her hands from the woman's, settling them in her lap, and her teary gaze lowered to the bar once more. "When he was here… did he eat?"

"Aye, tha' he did," she laughed again. "The little sprig put away three whole plates before he asked for cake. I let him stay in the room upstairs, but he was gone after breakfast."

"And he didn't say where he was going?" Lucy took the offered napkin and blotted at her cheeks with it, unaware that it hadn't come from the bartender but the person beside her.

"No, lass. If I see him again…"

"Tell him to find a lacrima and call me," Lucy said. "Or to go home and talk to my landlord. He knows Ryos is out somewhere and that I'm looking for him."

"If ye don' mind my askin', why's he all alone?"

Lucy's lips tightened into a thin line and she shook her head. That was something she didn't understand either. Ryos wasn't supposed to  _be_  alone. He was supposed to have Gajeel with him, training him. Had Gajeel really just decided to ditch the little Shadow Dragon Slayer? Lucy didn't want to believe that. She wanted to believe that Gajeel loved Ryos just like she did.

Then again, she didn't know what to believe where the man who'd stolen her heart was concerned anymore.

It was after several minutes spent staring at nothing in particular that she realized the bartender wasn't trying to talk to her anymore. The only thing that pulled Lucy's attention was the quiet clearing of someone's throat off to her right. Then a gentle tap on the back of her hand.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye to find a very large figure covered in a brown cloak with the hood up. "What?"

Gleaming blue eyes locked with hers as he pushed the hood back. The first thing she noticed was his scar. "Still looking?" Laxus asked softly.

Her lip curled into a vicious sneer. "What's it matter to you, Fa-"

"I'm sorry."

Well, that just killed her tirade. "... What?"

"I'm sorry," Laxus said. He turned to face her and lifted his own beer to take a large gulp. Then a second. "What I said to you before, at that bar, even when the guild had you… I'm sorry."

"Where's this coming from?" Lucy asked. She leaned away slightly, suddenly more than wary of the hulking man sitting before her. She didn't trust him. Then again, she didn't trust any Fairy Tail mages, excluding Loke. "What, did your precious grandpa send you out to make sure I'm not going to attack your guild?"

"No," Laxus sighed. "I don't know what he's up to right about now, to be honest. I, uh…" He paused to finish off his drink and order another. "I was kicked out."

"Bullshit."

"No lie," he said. "I attacked everyone, tried to kill them during the festival in Magnolia. After it was done, I realized I fucked up but… Jiji still kicked me out."

"Serves you right, getting your fairy wings ripped off," she muttered into her mug.

Laxus winced and turned back to the bar. Once his beer arrived, he lifted the mug and chugged it, then tossed his money down on the counter. Lucy refused to look at him while he stood and situated the hood of his ragged brown cloak over his head once again. She didn't see him motion from the money to his drink and Lucy as well, or the bartender's gentle smile and nod.

"I've got a lacrima," Laxus whispered. Her eyes closed when he spoke again, right into her ear. The warmth of his chest seeped into her spine, even though he wasn't touching her. "If you'd like some help… Call me. I'll keep an eye out for your little brother."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to," he said. "I hope you find him… Lucy."

When her eyes opened again, he was gone. And with him, the warmth she'd soaked in left as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've put some thought into a few of the comments and messages I've gotten concerning this story, and I've decided to do something about it. Not right now, but when the time comes.
> 
> A fair number of my readers have asked or said that they want Lucy and Ryos to end up together in the end. A part of me agrees with you guys (because omg they'd be so great together in this universe), but I'm sticking with my original intention to have Lucy and Gajeel together again by the end of this story.
> 
> So here's what I'll do. I'm curious to see where that vein of thought goes, so when the story is further along I'll probably write a little AU one-shot for this story - kind of like that alternate scene one-shot that I posted a while back for the original GaLu bar scene (Bunny vs. Iron Will). In it, I'll explore what would happen if Ryos and Lucy end up together instead of Lucy and Gajeel. Again, that won't be for a while, and it'll only be a one-shot. I won't write it until I'm at a point in thisstory where it would make sense for Lucy and Ryos to get together… which is definitely not right now. I don't want to spoil anything for you guys, so that's why I'm gonna wait. Besides, there might be other things that happen between now and when it's time to write that, that I can use in the story.
> 
> Anyway, I hope that alleviates some fears for you guys. This story will always be a Gajeel/Lucy story, regardless of what may happen in the future of the plot. Our end-game here is those two getting back together. No matter how angsty it gets, just remember there is a happy ending.


	26. Arc 2: A Light in the Darkness

 

In a forest to the west of Crocus, Lucy had set up her camp for the night. She'd been more than happy to find a nice clearing that had just enough space for her to have a tent and a small fire. It wasn't anything special, but she really wasn't looking for special. She was still tempted to return to Crocus in the hopes of stumbling upon Ryos. Maybe he'd decided to stay in the city for a time. But it had been a few days since she'd been in that tavern, and the barkeep Rosie had said she would keep an eye out for him. That had to be enough for Lucy.

She couldn't really stay anywhere for too long. She didn't know which direction he'd gone, so the best she could do was pick a random direction and search everywhere until she reached a shore, then go another way. Over and over again.

With her camp set up, and her meal for the night already cooking, Lucy sighed and pulled her hair into a messy bun, then trudged off to a nearby stream only a few short meters away to wash up. Her meal that night was going to be stew again, but it was easy to make and she was always able to have Virgo hold onto her leftovers so they wouldn't spoil too soon. She'd already gone through the last batch she'd made, so it was time to replenish her stock.

She knelt beside the stream, dipping her fingers into the night-cooled water. Fall was coming quickly, and she knew that she would need to stop and pick up some better camping gear if she was going to keep searching as the temperatures across Fiore fell. She sincerely hoped, while splashing water onto her face and scrubbing at her hands and arms, that Ryos did the same.

She knew for a fact now, that he wasn't with Gajeel. Lucy just didn't understand  _why_  they weren't together. Gajeel had promised to look after him, and she just couldn't picture Ryos being the one who would walk away from the knowledge that an older Dragon Slayer could give him. Of course, he hadn't been happy when she'd all but ordered him to stay with Gajeel, but he'd still agreed to it. Lucy knew for a fact he wouldn't have lied to her.

It was while she was heading back toward her camp that Lucy heard her tent rustling. That just wasn't right. Unless maybe it was an animal of some sort looking for a place to rest for the night. Then again, that would mean that she could just kill it and add it to her food. Vegetable stew was only so filling, and some meat would probably do her some real good.

With practiced ease, she unfurled her whip from her belt, holding onto the loose end so it didn't drag along the ground and alert her prey to her presence. She hid in the shadow of a tree near the opening of her tent, and waited. It would either go quiet in the tent and she could corner it, or it would come out when it realized there was nothing all that important inside, and she could kill it quickly.

"Aw, man… nothing's here…"

The voice was nothing more than a soft whisper, and her brows drew together. There was a person in her tent? They'd spoken so quietly she nearly hadn't heard it at all, but because of that, she couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, an adult or a child. She did know that it wasn't Gajeel though, and it wasn't Ryos. She would know their voices anywhere.

The shuffling started again, and she didn't hesitate once she saw the hunched form wriggling through the opening of her tent. Lucy sent her whip sailing forward, and grinned as it curled around the intruder, then she pulled as hard as she could.

A childlike yelp had her eyes widening though, and a moment later, she saw a young boy curled up on the ground with the spikes on her whip digging into his thin, bare arms. He tried struggling for only a moment before he whimpered, and that was when she saw the end of her whip had tangled in his pale blond hair. One of the spikes had sliced through the flesh of his right eyebrow.

"Please don't hurt me, Mister!" he begged, his eyes clenched tightly instead of looking up at her. "I-I was just looking for food! I'm sorry!"

"Oh my god," she whispered, dropping the whip and scrambling across the short distance between them on her knees. "Oh, are you alright?"

His wide blue eyes shot open, and he stared up at her. But he stopped speaking entirely. He didn't keep begging her not to hurt him. He didn't do a whole lot of anything while Lucy quickly unraveled her whip from around his small body. She tossed the whip to the side and pulled him up to sit, then started fretting over every little scrape on him. Some were old and hadn't been inflicted by her at all - he'd probably gotten stuck in some prickly brush in the woods somewhere - but she couldn't help herself. Between that and the sorry state of his clothes that looked to be seconds away from disintegrating - they were so worn in - Lucy went full mother-hen on him.

Without thinking, she practically dragged the blond boy closer to the fire, then inspected him from head to toe. "Are you okay?" she asked again. "Oh, I hope I didn't hurt you too much. I thought you were an animal or something, and then I heard you talking, and I thought maybe you were trying to steal from me. Or maybe you were another mage or… Oh, your eye! That looks bad… Here, let me clean you up, okay? Don't open it, or blood will get in your eye, and it stings like a bitch."

His mouth opened and closed, but he still said nothing while she crawled pulled out a golden key and swiped it through the air. In a burst of golden sparkles, Virgo appeared with a small first aid kit in her hands. She set it down beside Lucy, bowed, then left without a word.

"Can you talk to me?" Lucy asked the boy while brushing his hair back and inspecting the cut on his eyebrow. "I'm so, so sorry…"

"Um…"

She heard the hesitation, and finally smiled down at him. "It's okay," she said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He nodded, watching intently as she opened the kit and pulled out bandages and antiseptic liquid. He was quiet and eerily still while she cleaned the cut on his eyebrow, and even while she cleaned the rest of his small scrapes. It wasn't until Lucy was putting a bandage on his eyebrow that he spoke. "My name is Sting," he said. "Sting Eucliffe."

"It's nice to meet you, Sting," she said, smiling again. "My name is Lucy."

"What kind of magic was that?"

She paused while closing up the kit, then held up her keys. "Celestial Spirit magic," she said. "I use these keys to summon spirits, and they help me."

His blue eyes twinkled as his head tilted to the side. Slowly, his hand lifted and he hesitantly poked one of the silver keys. "Are they stuck inside?"

"No," she laughed. He shrunk in on himself slightly, and she just couldn't help but ruffle his hair. Just like she'd done with Ryos when they'd spent all day together while Gajeel was away on his mission in Magnolia. "It's kind of like… there are doors to another world, and these are the keys that unlock them. Does that make sense?"

Sting nodded, biting his lip while he poked the same key. "I've never heard of that kind of magic," he said.

"Do you know a lot about magic, then?"

His cheeks flushed and his hands clenched in his lap. "A little," he muttered.

Her eyes narrowed slightly while she took in his appearance. He couldn't have been much older than Ryos, but this boy did have a little more meat on his bones. At least he wasn't starved half to death like Ryos was. But why would he have been scrounging around in her tent for food?

"Why are you out here?" she asked, finally looking away and toward the fire. If he was hungry, then they could share the stew she'd been making. It wouldn't be much, since she was only cooking for herself, but they could make it work.

"Just wandering around," he sighed.

"Don't you have parents or someone to watch you?" He didn't answer her though. Instead, he just stayed quiet while looking at the ground. Maybe he was alone, like Ryos had been when she'd met him. Maybe he didn't have anyone to care for him. Or he was a runaway. But he was hungry, and she had food that was starting to smell pretty damn good. "You know…"

Sting looked up to find her kind brown eyes crinkled while she smiled down at him.

"It's pretty lonely travelling all by myself," she said. "But if you wanted to… You could have some dinner with me. Keep me company."

She saw the moment she'd caught him. His stomach clearly outweighed his sense of self preservation - not that she was planning on hurting him - because his eyes lit up once again and his smile was so impossibly wide, so painfully bright, that it made her chest pang with regret. He looked so young, so innocent. It reminded her so much of Ryos, but they were polar opposites. It had to have been because she was just so worried about her little brother.

"It'd be alright?" He sounded so hopeful that she wouldn't turn him away. God, how hungry was this poor boy?

"Absolutely," she said, ruffling his hair again. They shifted to be more comfortable by the fire, and Lucy pulled out a second bowl that she'd been carrying around - just in case she finally found Ryos, she would have what she needed to take care of him as well - and dished up their food. They ate in utter silence, the only noises in the small clearing coming from the surrounding nocturnal fauna, the crackling of the fire, and their spoons lightly tapping against their bowls. Sting devoured his helping in moments, but he was patient while waiting for Lucy to finish her own. There wasn't much left in the pot, but she could tell that he was still hungry, and poured the remaining food into his bowl with a smile.

"Thank you so much for this," he said before digging in again. She couldn't stop herself from smiling while watching him. He ate just like Ryos. Well, Sting was a little messier about it, but Ryos was just as enthusiastic when it came to food when he'd been so hungry before. Once he was done, Sting sighed and patted his belly, then grinned at her. "That was really good, Lucy. Thanks."

"No problem, Sting," she said.

He looked down at his bowl for a moment, then to the fire. "I should probably get going," he said, causing Lucy's brows to lift in surprise. Was he really planning on travelling through the night? Maybe he had some place to get to. She watched as he set the bowl on the ground and got ready to stand. Before he could get too far, she reached out and grabbed his hand. He froze. "Lucy?"

"Would you want to just stay here for the night?" she asked. "It's not really all that safe to be travelling by yourself."

"I'll be fine," he said, his brows drawing together. "Nothing in this forest can beat me up."

"Is that so?" she asked with a smirk. Her teasing gaze settled on the bandage on his eyebrow. "I got you pretty easily."

"Well, you're a grown-up," he huffed. "Animals are nothing."

"I might not be the only grown-up in these woods," she said, her lips turning down slightly. "And they probably won't be as nice as I am."

"Well…" He was considering it, she knew, but she just couldn't help but worry about him. Would he really be alright if he ventured away from her camp? He was so small, so young.

"It's safer to sleep at night," she said while gently squeezing his hand. "Especially if you're not alone. And if you're with me, nothing will happen to you."

"How do I know  _you_  won't try something?" he asked.

She couldn't help but smile at him. "You'd have to trust me, I guess," she said. "But I can tell you that you'll be safe here. I can let you use my tent, and I'll sleep outside, if that makes you feel better."

"You'd sleep out here?" he asked, looking down at her hand. "Why?"

Lucy wasn't sure what it was about him, but she wanted to protect him. She wanted to prove to herself that she  _could_  keep someone safe, even if it was just for a night. She had no illusions about Sting staying with her for longer than tonight. She knew nothing about him, and it would make her search for Ryos a little harder if Sting did stick around. Granted, if he asked to tag along with her for a time, she wouldn't turn him away. At least, not until she reached another town where he could find an orphanage to go to - if he needed a place to go - or she could take him to the Rune Knights so he could be reunited with his parents.

She hoped someone would do that for Ryos, if they found him and he needed help.

"You remind me of my brother," she said.

His eyes narrowed for the briefest of moments before he was grinning at her again. "Okay," he said, laughing when she jolted and stared at him in surprise. "It'd be stupid to turn down a safe place to sleep, right?"

"I guess so," she giggled. "How about you go wash up a bit while I get the tent situated for you, alright?"

He followed her anyway, watching as she crawled into the tent and started arranging her bedroll for him. "Lucy, we could both fit in here," he said slowly. "You don't have to sleep outside."

"You're sure?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Yeah."

She nodded and finished up, and Sting ran down to the stream she'd been at earlier. He scrubbed his face and hands, then ran back just as Lucy popped out and beckoned him into the tent. "Let me just put the fire out," she said.

Sting peeked his head out and watched her douse the flames, bathing their camp in darkness. She kicked dirt onto the embers, then stomped on it for good measure. "Hey, Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

He backed up when she turned and made her way back toward him. "What are you doing out here? Are you in a guild or something? Like, on a job?"

"I'm looking for my little brother, Ryos," she said while taking a seat. She couldn't see him all that well, but she could hear him taking off his shoes while she did the same. "He's about your age, I think."

"What happened to him?"

"Oh," she chuckled, "I had a bit of a blonde moment, and forgot to tell him where to meet me when he was done with his training… The lacrima isn't connecting, so I can't get in touch with anyone to find out where he went. I'll figure it out though." She wanted to say that Ryos was in good hands, but he wasn't. He wasn't with Gajeel, but all on his own. Somewhere. She really wished that she'd made sure he had a lacrima of his own, so she could just call him instead. If only she'd had the forethought to suggest something like that.

"Are you in a guild?"

"Not anymore," she said. They both laid down, facing one another, and she listened as he adjusted the blanket that Virgo had left for him. She still wasn't sure how the spirit always seemed to know what she needed  _before_  she even needed it, but it did usually work in her favor. "I was in a guild until a few weeks ago, though."

"What was it like?"

"Not pleasant," she said, but she still smiled. Not everything about being in Phantom Lord had been a basket of roses, but she'd gotten strong while she was there. She'd met Ryos there. And Gajeel. That made it bittersweet, at best, but he was a huge part of her life in the guild. "But it was worth being there."

"What do you mean?"

"It made me strong," she said. "So much stronger than I could've become on my own." Jose was a prick for what he'd done, but he'd taught her some valuable lessons. "Being in that guild taught me that I have to be careful who I trust; I couldn't let myself trust everyone I met, or they would've taken advantage of my kindness. It taught me the value of a life. My life, others lives…" She shook her head and squinted to try and see him. "Tell me about yourself. Where are your parents?"

"I dunno," he muttered. "My dad died a few years ago. I'm on my own now."

"That must be hard," she said softly.

"Nah, I get by." She could hear his smile, and it forced her own smile to return just a little bit.

"Ryos is the same," she said. "He was in my old guild, and I took him in when I found out his dad had died."

"And he's my age?" Sting whispered in awe. "He was in your guild?"

"He's very strong," she said. Lucy closed her eyes, her smile widening as she pictured what he'd looked like when he was practicing eating shadows in her apartment. Even the day she'd lost Gajeel to Jose's machinations made her smile when she focused on how fiercely Ryos had fought to protect her. For the first and only time, she'd been able to see his magic as it should have been. The swirling mass of shadows that had struck Gajeel hard enough to throw him into and through the stone stairs in the mobile Phantom building.  _That_  was Ryos' power. He may have been physically weakened by malnutrition and Gajeel having beaten the shit out of him, but his heart and his soul, and the magic he'd gained from his father, were strong.

"I bet I could beat him up," Sting boasted.

"Oh, are you a super strong mage, too?" she giggled.

"Definitely." He didn't elaborate, and she didn't ask him to. Lucy wanted to let herself believe that he was just a kid being a kid.

And part of her was honestly terrified of letting Sting in the way she had with Ryos. With Gajeel. The two people who had been closest to her in the last few months were gone. She'd find Ryos eventually, but it didn't make missing him any easier. She didn't want to try and force Sting into the position that Ryos had held, just because she missed her little Shadow Dragon Slayer.

She definitely didn't want to latch onto this lonely little boy because of the pain lurching in the depths of her soul from losing Gajeel's baby.

"Let's get some sleep, Sting," she sighed, closing her eyes when she heard his soft hum of agreement. Over the next few minutes, she heard him shift restlessly where he laid, but Lucy ignored it. He probably wasn't used to sleeping on the ground like this. Well, she hoped that was the case.

"H-Hey, Lucy?"

"Hm?"

"I can't sleep… Would you… Would you tell me a story?"

She smiled again at how embarrassed he sounded. She hadn't smiled this much in so long. For the first time since she'd lost everything, there was a small spark of light in her life again. "What kind of story?"

"Maybe something about that guild you were in," he said. "I bet you have some cool stories from doing crazy jobs or something, right?"

"I do," she chuckled. "But they're probably not good bedtime story material."

"It won't scare me. My dad used to tell me stories before I went to sleep about dragons and wars and stuff."

With a tender smile and a shake of her head, Lucy thought back to her time in Phantom Lord. What would be a good story to tell him? Not her first mission, when she'd come back a bloody, muddy mess with her clothing torn and barely holding together. Not one of the many days she'd fought with Gajeel in the middle of the guild. She couldn't exactly tell him about a good number of her missions without letting him know just how many people she'd had to kill, or the seedy places she'd gone to beat information out of people.

"The guild I was in," she said slowly, "It was made to harbor only the strongest mages. The weak didn't survive there for long. To get by, you did what you had to do. If that meant killing someone, then that was just how it had to be. The life of a mage in my guild was more important than anyone else's, as far as we were concerned. But it wasn't a place to make friends either."

"That sounds kinda cool," Sting whispered.

"Killing isn't cool, Sting," she sighed. "I did what I had to, to survive."

"That's what my dad said about killing. Killing for food or if someone attacks me, is fine. As long as there's no other way to stop something from killing me first."

"Your dad was a smart man."

"Yeah…"

"But if you want a story from one of my jobs, then I've got one for you," she said. He sounded so sad, she was starting to wonder if his father had really died only a few years ago and not more recently.

"Does it have fighting in it?"

"It does," she laughed. "The guildmaster sent me on a mission with one of our S Class mages. I was doing alright on jobs, but I'd get beat up all the time, so he wanted to have someone train me."

"But I thought you said the guild wasn't for weak people," Sting said, and she could hear him frowning while trying to sort it out. "And that you don't make friends there."

"That's right. But Master saw potential in me, and he wanted me to be stronger. I always came back with my mission successful, but I was physically weaker than a lot of the people there. So, I partnered up with one of the guild's top mages, and he trained me."

"I guess that makes sense." He didn't sound like it made sense, and Lucy knew, looking back on it all, that she and Gajeel both should have been more wary of Master Jose's sudden interest in making her stronger. He'd been so believable at the time, saying that she needed to look the part of a Phantom mage and she couldn't do that if she was being beaten half to death and walking through town looking like a mess after every mission. God, she wished that she'd known better.

"We spent a week going through the mountains just north of the guild, and when we got to the town for our job, we had to fight these monsters called barghests."

She went on to tell him the story of the fight that had ensued with the beasts, how she'd summoned Lyra to lull them to sleep and then Taurus to team up with Gajeel. Sting gasped when she told him that two of the barghests had circled around and ambushed them, and that she'd been bitten by one and still had the scars on her arm from its tooth puncturing her flesh. She didn't mention that she still had that tooth, or that Gajeel had coated it in his iron for her to use as a weapon after the fact. She also made a point of not saying Gajeel's name - it was still too painful most times - but instead called him  _my partner_. Sting laughed when she described how she defeated the beast by stabbing it in the head with its own tooth.

She hadn't realized that he was slowly shifting closer to her throughout the story until she was done and felt his warmth less than a foot from her.

"That was so cool," he whispered in amazement. "You really fought like that?"

"I did," she said. "I had a pretty good teacher, too, so I'm sure that helped." He didn't try to move away from her, but there was something pulling from deep in her gut. Something that wanted to bring Sting closer, to hold him the way she'd held Ryos. The way Gajeel had held her. It was a stupid idea, and she knew that. She couldn't let herself get attached to Sting. "You know, I have a hard time sleeping in the woods unless there's someone with me."

"Is that why you asked me to stay?" he asked.

"Part of the reason," she chuckled. Slowly, Lucy reached up and brushed her fingers through the unruly golden spikes of his hair. "I was attacked in the woods when I was all alone, and I almost died."

"Wow…"

"I killed them for it," she assured him. Oddly, she felt Sting relax after hearing that. "But, do you think it'd be alright if I held you while we go to sleep?"

"How come?" Did she detect a hopeful tone in his voice? Was he maybe just as desperate for affection as Ryos had been?

"Well, you remind me of my little brother," she said. "I loved snuggling with him."

"Isn't he my age, though?" Sting asked, drawing back slightly. "Kids my age don't snuggle."

"Well, he was severely cuddle-deprived," she said. "I met Ryos in the guild, but he was being beaten up by one of the S Class mages. So I took him in, and god was he a cuddler." She couldn't help but laugh just a little bit, still running her fingers through Sting's hair as he barely inched closer. "You look like you could use a good cuddle, Sting."

"It'd be weird," he mumbled.

"Nah," she laughed. "I love cuddling. And I feel like I can trust you to keep me safe from all the monsters in the woods."

Just as she expected his chest puffed up with pride, and she was just barely able to make out the suddenly determined gleam in his wide blue eyes. "You know I will," he said. He sounded so serious. "You helped me by feeding me and giving me a place to sleep, so I'll help you too. That's what my dad taught me to do."

" _I was taught to help those who help me," Gajeel said while cleaning off the cuts on her face from where he'd been pummeling her. "No one's ever helped me before, so I saw no need to help them. You did, so I will."_

The sudden flash of a memory seared a painful path through her psyche. The morning they first ventured into the mountains on their mission, after they'd watched the sunrise together and saw those shooting stars that made him think of his dragon.

"You seem sad," Sting said, shifting closer to her. "Are you okay?"

"Just thinking about shooting stars," she sighed. It shouldn't have been a surprise for his head to rest just under her collarbone, or for his thin, small arm to wrap around her stomach. But it was a surprise. She hadn't felt warmth like this in so long. It felt like ages since she'd had Ryos snuggled up to her like this, seeking the warmth and comfort of her embrace.

"Do they make you sad?"

"Sometimes," she said.

"Why don't you tell me another story?" he asked. "I'll go to sleep this time. Promise."

Lucy let out a soft laugh and finally wrapped an arm around him as well. "You'd better be careful making promises with me," she said. "Celestial mages never break a promise. And I expect others to keep theirs as well."

"I don't break promises."

"Fine, then one more story." It didn't take her long to pick one, and even though she knew it would be difficult to do it, for some reason she wanted to tell Sting this one in particular. "It's a little on the sad side," she warned. "But it's got fighting in it."

"Awesome," he said, and she could feel him grinning against her chest.

Her fingers carded through his hair again, and her eyes closed. "Once upon a time, there was a war between guilds," she began. "In the middle of the conflict there was a Bunny and a dragon named Ironface…"

And so she told him the story of the Ghost War, in which the Ghost Guild and Sprites Guild faced off against each other. She told Sting of the love that Bunny and Ironface shared, about the small Shadow that tried to protect Bunny when she was captured by the Sprites. He was enthralled by the tale of Ironface mowing down Sprites left and right in the attempt at getting his Bunny back. She felt his grip around her tighten when she told him how Death, the master of the Ghosts, turned Ironface against Bunny, and how Shadow tried to protect her by bringing Salamander to save her. By the end of it, she was nearly in tears.

"So Bunny left Shadow behind with Ironface, so he could get stronger. Her father, Greed, was the one who contacted the Sprites, and she had to stop him from ever coming after her again. With Death killed by Bunny, she asked Salamander to help her get back to Greed. Her heart was broken, and she was all alone, but she knew that she'd find Shadow again. And Bunny hoped with everything she was worth that Ironface would return to her, that he'd love her the way he used to."

Sting's head tipped back and his hand lifted to gently brush away her tears before they could fall. "That is sad," he said. She pulled him closer, and he nuzzled her chest, hugging her just as tightly. "Is that a true story?"

"Yeah."

"That Salamander guy sounds really strong."

She let out a watery laugh at that. "Yes, Salamander is one of the strongest people I've ever met."

Sting smirked. "I think you mean that  _Bunny_  ever met."

It wasn't even a conscious decision to lightly press her lips to the top of his head in a tender kiss. "You're absolutely right, Sting," she sniffled. "Silly me."

She let out a heavy sigh and felt him slowly relaxing against her as the minutes ticked by. It had been painful to tell the story, but there was a small part of her that eased the longer she'd talked. Almost as though some of this invisible weight that threatened to crush her chest every day had been lifted from her. She could breathe easier. The world, for whatever reason, didn't feel so dreary, so lonely. So Lucy allowed herself to fall asleep that night with a smile on her face, with this mysterious boy in her arms, and her heart just a little lighter.

* * *

She slept in much later than she'd planned, but Lucy blamed how comfortable she'd been the night before. It was so strange to have someone to hold again, and even though Sting wasn't as skinny or gangly as Ryos, he was about the same height. He snored almost the same way with the smallest sound purring in the back of his throat. She didn't even mind it when she felt the smallest bit of drool on her shirt where he'd been sleeping.

But she knew before her eyes even opened, just as she'd known it would happen the night before, that he wasn't there with her any longer. She could feel a little extra warmth from the blanket he'd been using that was draped partially over her legs, but there was no extra weight around her. Her arms were empty.

Slowly she sat up and stretched, then her eyes creaked open to take in the way the midday light filtered through the roof of her tent. She really had slept in, that was for sure. The blanket Sting had used was still over her, and there was no other sign that he'd even been near her camp at all.

While making her way out of the tent and back to her doused fire, she felt the telltale pull on her magic that signalled a spirit arriving. There was only one spirit who opened his gate on his own, so she smiled when Loke appeared in a freshly pressed suit.

"Good morning, Princess," he said, grinning when she rolled her eyes. "You look like you're in a better mood today."

"I met a little boy last night," she said. Lucy paid no mind to her rumpled clothes and stretched again now that she was able to stand up fully.

"Sting," he said with a nod. "I opened my gate earlier and saw he was leaving."

She breathed deeply, letting the natural scents in the air fill her lungs. It sucked that Sting wasn't there, but she'd known he wouldn't stick around. A part of her had wanted him to stay with her though. She didn't want to be alone anymore, but it was also for the best if he left. She knew that.

"He gave me something for you," Loke said, drawing her attention again. He pulled a folded piece of paper from inside his jacket and handed it to her, then smiled. "If you'd like, I can make breakfast for you."

"What's with you this morning?" she asked while taking the paper from him. Still, she was smiling. "You're being awfully nice."

Loke gasped, putting a hand to his chest. "I'm  _always_  nice," he laughed. With another roll of her eyes, she laughed along with him. "I just wanted to spend some time with you. We all felt how happy you were when he was here. And… how conflicted you were."

She held the paper to her chest and nodded, looking down at the ground. "It's complicated. But yeah. He just reminded me of Ryos, a lot."

"Have you given any more thought to contacting Fairy Tail?"

Lucy shook her head and turned back toward the tent. "I can't go to them with this."

"You could ask for a specific mage," he said, following her until she disappeared inside. Loke crouched down and peered into the entrance to find her sitting cross-legged on her bedding, looking down at the letter from Sting. "I can even make some recommendations, and get in touch with Master Makarov for you, if you'd like."

"That's alright, Loke," she said softly. "If you want to do something for me, then make some breakfast for us, okay?"

He gave her a tender smile when she finally met his gaze again. "Sure thing, Princess."

She turned back to the letter when he was gone, and slowly unfolded the paper. The writing was sloppy, and she could see several spots where Sting had hesitated on the page while he was writing. But as she started to read the misspelled words, Lucy realized that he probably hadn't had a proper education, if he'd been on his own for the last few years.

_Lucy,  
thanx for being awsum and ledding me stay with yu last nite. im soree I didn stay longer but yu were tocking about gilds and it mayd me want to joyn wun. Lokee gayv me sum cleen close to wayr and he gayv me sum bread and meat so i wont be hungry. hes nis._

She couldn't help but smile while reading through the letter. He wanted to join a guild based on the stories she'd told him, and that was why he'd left. It was definitely comforting to know that Loke had taken care of Sting that morning though, making sure he had a full belly and clean clothes to wear.

_im sher Bunee and Shado wil find eech other and maibee Iernfais wil stop being a idiot to!_

She couldn't help but laugh at that. She sure hoped that she and Ryos would be reunited again. She wasn't sure if she wanted Gajeel to stop being an idiot though. Okay, that was a lie. She did want him to stop being an idiot, even if she wasn't ready to actually see him and talk to him just yet. She hadn't forgiven him for what he'd done to her, after all.

_il keep a i out for yor brother and if i see him il tel him yor looking for him. Be sayf out there. i hop weel see eech other agen soon.  
-Sting Eucliffe_

"I hope we'll meet again too, Sting," she whispered, smiling down at the page and running her fingers over the words. At the very bottom, she found what looked like smudged ink, and squinted while trying to see if it actually said anything, or if it was just that the ink had dripped onto the paper while he'd been writing.

_P.S. - i lik how you smel lik cake._

Lucy blinked in surprise, reading through the seven little words again and again. There were only two people who had ever said she smelled like cake before, and both of them were Dragon Slayers. No one else had ever said it. The few men before Gajeel that had come close enough to be able to smell her past her perfume had never mentioned it either. But she knew how much Dragon Slayers relied on their noses. She  _knew_  that she smelled like icing to Gajeel, but just  _cake_  to Ryos.

She vaguely remembered Natsu saying something similar to her about smelling like cake while he'd carried her to the train station. Three Dragon Slayers had told her…

Did that mean…

"L-Loke?" she called out, looking up when his head popped into her tent almost instantly.

"Everything alright?"

"Can you do me a favor?" she asked. "It might sound weird…" He nodded and came into the tent to kneel beside her, and Lucy stuck out her arm in front of his face. "Smell me."

Loke drew back with suddenly wide eyes behind his glasses. "Wh-What?"

"Tell me what I smell like," she said. "It's important."

Slowly, he leaned forward and pressed his nose to the racing pulse in her wrist. "You smell… nice," he said slowly. "Is that a sugary body spray or something?"

She shook her head, gazing down at the page again. At the little post-script from Sting, saying she smelled like cake. "No," she said. "It's nothing. Thank you, Loke."

"Sure," he said slowly. She was sure that he thought she'd lost her mind, but Lucy paid him no attention when he left the tent again.

She was far too caught up in the realization that she'd had a little Dragon Slayer with her the night before, and hadn't realized it at all. What she wouldn't give to find Sting again and ask  _him_  to help her find Ryos. If his sense of smell was even half as strong as Gajeel's, she could take him to her apartment and have him figure out what Ryos' scent was, and then they could search for him.

Well, that made it sound like she was trying to use him as a bloodhound… But, if she'd just kept him with her, then she could have introduced him to Ryos! And her sweet little Shadow Dragon Slayer would have another Dragon Slayer as a friend. Someone he could learn with.

But Sting was gone, and she had no idea how to find him. Maybe it would be better if she didn't actively seek him out. She needed to keep her focus on finding Ryos, after all.

It was with a heavy sigh that she looked out of the small sliver of space in her tent. Loke was still out there, preparing food for the both of them. Even sitting on the ground, he looked so well put together. But he did have a point, she supposed. She couldn't do this all on her own. She did need help. And the last time she'd swallowed her pride and tried to get some help, she'd nearly run into Gajeel outside of the Raven Tail guild. She couldn't go back to that place, just in case Gajeel really was there for good.

She wanted to say that she debated the wisdom of her choice while pulling out her lacrima. Lucy wanted to convince herself so badly that it wasn't a good idea, and that she should just put the stupid orb down, but she didn't. It would have been a lie. She didn't hesitate once the idea spawned in her head, and she nearly dropped the lacrima while channeling her magic into it.

After three pulses, a familiar face filled the screen.

" _... Blondie?"_

"Laxus," she said slowly, noticing that he was surrounded by trees and the hood of his cloak was pulled up. "Do you think we could meet up? I… I need your help."


	27. Arc 2: To Trust a Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to make this chapter a little longer, and give you all another scene (at least one more), but then I finished this and looked at the final few paragraphs… and I knew I just had to end it here.
> 
> I personally really like how this chapter turned out. I hope you all enjoy it, as well!

Leo adjusted his deep red tie in front of the floor-length mirror in his bedroom. He'd been more than confused when Lucy told him what she was planning on doing, but it was his duty to protect her. To serve her, even if she refused to see it as servitude. Leo knew - and had seen for himself in her memories - that she was too pure-hearted to force them to serve her like slaves.

He still couldn't let himself believe it though. Not yet. The pain of what he'd endured with Karen was so fresh for him. There were times, even now, that the phantom pains of his prolonged suffering in Earthland still shot through his body.

But he was learning. Leo knew it would take time, and he was positive that the more time he spent with Lucy, the more he'd be able to let himself believe that this was really the life he could live once again. Sometimes, it still felt like he was dreaming, being able to walk in the Celestial Realm and breathe in the air that was so rich. Being so close to the spirits who were his oldest friends and the only family he'd ever known.

He felt the pull of her call well before she even finished the incantation. Just the barest brush of Lucy's fingers over his golden key let him feel her emotions and intent so intensely. With a small smile, Leo turned toward the shimmering portal that opened up a few feet off to his right and stepped into the darkened starry night swirling within it just as she finished the incantation to summon him.

He emerged on the other side, standing in an alley behind an unfamiliar tavern in the middle of the day, and he smiled down at Lucy. "Hello again, Princess," he said. "Are you ready?"

Lucy nodded and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. "He's already inside," she said. "You know what to do?"

"I do," he said. Leo gently took her hand in his and brought it to his lips as he bowed at the waist in front of her. He kissed her knuckles, chuckling when she scoffed at him - there was no missing the way she smiled at him, letting him know that she wasn't angry with his small display of affection. Still, he knew that anything more than that would make her uncomfortable. And he understood exactly why she would feel that way. Without another word, he stood to his full height and left her in the alley.

Leo walked around the front of the tavern and made his way inside. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to his darker surroundings. Once they did, he found his target sitting at the bar. It wasn't all too difficult, really, considering the only other patrons were draped in a drunken mess over their table in the far corner. And while the shabby cloak wasn't all that familiar, Leo did recognize that scent in the air.

He fought against the impulse to smooth down his jacket and push his glasses higher on his nose, and instead walked to the bar. He waved the barkeep over while taking a seat just next to his target. "Bernia Ale," he said.

Leo didn't say another word until the mug was set on the worn bar in front of him. He smiled at the barkeep, an older woman with deep wrinkles around her eyes, then took a sip.

Finally, he turned his attention toward the large man sitting beside him. "I heard you were waiting here for someone, Laxus."

Stormy blue eyes turned toward him from beneath the hood of Laxus' cloak. Leo saw the instant flash of recognition in them, the surprise at his appearance. It was expected, to be honest. No one in Fairy Tail had ever seen him like this, with his hair longer and in a freshly pressed suit.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Laxus asked, taking a large gulp of his beer.

Leo simply grinned at him. "She sent me."

"She?"

"You know who I'm talking about."

"And why are you working for her?" he asked. His eyes narrowed after a moment. "You disappeared after her guild broke up. You weren't there during Fantasia… Did you leave the guild?"

Leo shook his head. "No, I'm still a member of Fairy Tail. Me and Lucy…"

Laxus quirked a brow at him. "Must be a nice lay for you to do this shit for her."

"It's not like that," Leo growled. His hand clenched tightly to his mug. "And I'd suggest not saying anything like that to her."

"Why are you here?"

"She doesn't trust you."

Laxus snorted and they both sipped at their drinks again. "She called me, Loke, not the other way around. I don't need to do shit for her."

"She needs the help," he said. He'd been happy that Lucy was at least trying to branch out and depend on someone else. The fact that she'd called Laxus, of all people, was what threw him for a loop. This was Laxus Dreyar. He wasn't the kind of guy Leo would ever consider being on a list of friends one could depend on. Sure, he was strong and an S Class mage. Laxus was capable of completing jobs, but this was more important to her than just some job. This was everything to Lucy.

Then again, that was the motivation for most people who put up requests to mage guilds in the first place. They needed someone with more skills than just Rune Knights to acquire something, find something or someone, or get something done. It was important enough for them to branch out to someone else, to trust a third party to complete the task for them.

He'd met plenty of people while in Fairy Tail who had put their entire life savings into the payment for a mage to help them. They'd given everything they could because of how important it was to them.

Maybe that was how Laxus looked at this. Maybe that was how Lucy was looking at it as well - treating it like just another mission for Laxus to complete so she wouldn't get attached.

"And I agreed to help," Laxus said. "I'm guessing she still hasn't found him?"

Leo blinked in surprise at that. "You already know?" When Laxus nodded, he let out a heavy sigh and drank deeply from his mug. Even the sweetness of this ale wasn't helping to make him feel better about this meeting. Lucy had trust issues. He understood that, considering what she'd just gone through with Gajeel. That was why Leo was even there in the first place. She needed someone to be the intermediary before she actually met with Laxus. And since Leo had been in a guild with the lightning mage, it made sense that he would meet with Laxus first. She had to know that there wasn't some ulterior motive here. "She's out of ideas, and two heads are better than one."

"And you're here instead of her, because…?"

"Because…" Leo sighed and shook his head, then looked up into Laxus' calculating gaze. He'd never had a conversation with the man before. Considering Leo and Bickslow had never gotten along - he was sure the Seith mage had some idea that he wasn't entirely human - he'd never tried interacting with anyone else in the Raijinshuu. Laxus and his team had always been unapproachable. They'd earned their place on the pedestal that the guild held them on. But the man sitting beside him, while he looked like the Laxus Dreyar that Leo remembered… wasn't the same man somehow. "She's scared."

Laxus' brows furrowed as he set down his empty mug. "Of what?"

"I can't give you all the answers," Leo chuckled. He finished off his own drink and set some money down on the bar. "If you're going to work with her, then you'll probably figure out the answer for yourself."

Laxus watched as Leo stood from his stool, but he didn't follow.

"Come with me," Leo said. "She's waiting." He started toward the door, listening as Laxus stood from his own seat and stalked after him. It made this seem like some seedy back-alley deal, but he knew the truth. Lucy was terrified. He could tell that she needed a minute to get herself together to have this conversation with Laxus about her own shortcomings in finding Ryos, but it was more than that. She was scared of depending on another person.

Once outside, Leo kept moving, leading Laxus to where his keyholder was waiting. Still in the alley beside the tavern. As they rounded the corner, he found her standing in the same position he'd left her in - leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, staring at the ground. She looked into his eyes a moment later, and he smiled at the sight of her tired brown eyes. It had been so long since she'd taken any sort of break, and the proof was staring right back at him. When they'd first met on that train leading to Magnolia, Lucy had been so alive, so happy. There was a fire in her that he hadn't really taken notice of until it was no longer there.

Now that he was closer to her, and he could look back on when they'd met, Leo could see the differences. This Lucy was colder, more secretive and closed off. There was a weight on her shoulders that had only lifted for a few days after she'd met Sting. It hadn't lasted though.

But maybe working with Laxus could turn that around for her. Maybe having another person around for company was what she really needed in the first place.

Leo stopped and bowed in front of her, smirking as he brought her knuckles to his lips. "Princess," he said. "I come bearing a present."

Lucy smiled softly as he stood upright again. The sound of her quiet laugh was all the reward he needed. She did it so seldomly, and just knowing that he could give her a small spot of happiness in her otherwise dreary days… Leo couldn't get enough of how her delight washed through their bond. "You're a silly lion," she said, then turned her attention to Laxus. Her smile faded instantly. "Thank you for coming."

"Well, I said I was willing to help," Laxus replied.

Leo stepped closer to her, internally wincing when he felt her tense up as his fingers brushed across her shoulder. "Princess, if you need anything else…" He could tell she was struggling not to pull away from him. "I'll come right away."

"You're leaving?" Her brows furrowed only slightly. Did she not want him to leave?

"Best to save your magic, right?" he whispered. Her features softened with understanding and she nodded. She didn't have to have him right there with her for him to watch over her. She knew that. And he hadn't even had to tell her that he and the other spirits were able to see her while they were in the Celestial Realm. She seemed to have figured it out all on her own, based on Virgo's random appearances when she wasn't even summoned.

Leo smiled at her one last time, then turned to face Laxus - who looked as though he was on the verge of vomiting. "Until next time, Laxus." And then, wink a sly smirk, Leo disappeared in a flash of golden sparkles that left the former Fairy Tail mage staring at the empty space in surprise.

"What the fuck?"

Lucy shook her head and gazed up at Laxus' strong features for a moment. "Guess he was telling the truth," she said softly. "No one in Fairy Tail knew he was a spirit."

"I had no clue that was even possible."

She shrugged and he leaned against the building beside her, fully blocking her smaller body from view to anyone who passed by the alley. Granted, in the middle of the day, there weren't that many people going to the tavern.

"So, what do you need?" he asked. He'd learned a long time ago that it was best to be blunt with people. Trying to beat around the bush was too much of a hassle and gave others too much leeway in being able to try and formulate a lie.

"I still can't find my brother," she said, staring down at the ground. "I don't know where to look… or who else to turn to…"

"Well, I'm just one guy," he said. "I can try to help, but-"

"You'd better not be getting ready to tell me to ask Fairy Tail," she spat. If Laxus was a lesser man, he would have drawn back at the vicious tone of her voice. That was the last thing he'd been expecting her to say, and it was nowhere near where he'd been ready to take the conversation.

"I was gonna say that this would be easier if I had my team with me," he said, glancing down at her. It hadn't taken long for him to realize just how much he'd fucked up in trying to take over the guild. It was why he'd been in tears when his grandfather had kicked him out, and why he'd accepted the punishment without trying to fight back. Laxus knew it had been the right call where Fairy Tail was concerned.

And just like he knew he needed the time away from the guild to get his head on straight, Laxus was also distinctly aware of how little he was really capable of without his team. Sure, he was strong, and he could hold his own in a fight, but without realizing it… he'd come to rely on the Raijinshuu for their own strengths to make jobs simpler.

"Well, if they're with Fairy Tail, then no way," she said. "I won't depend on that guild for anything."

"I can't contact them anyway," he said. That had her finally looking up at him, though she seemed much more tense than when she'd called him on the lacrima a week ago. "One of the stipulations my grandfather gave me. No contact with the guild."

Her brow lifted, giving him the distinct impression that she didn't believe what he was saying. Laxus wasn't entirely sure why she would look at him that way, though. Even if his grandfather hadn't said it out loud, it was implied. He couldn't call his old team and ask them for help. This was their chance to prove to the guild that they were loyal.

"Right," she drawled. "I honestly don't know how you could help me either, but I do know that I can't keep searching every inch of Fiore by myself."

"And you don't have any leads whatsoever?"

She shook her head and let out a heavy sigh. "Nothing more than knowing he was in Crocus a week before I saw you that last time. I don't know which direction he went after that, but I'm starting to think I picked the wrong one."

"You do realize this is basically impossible, right?" Surely, she had to have realized that by now. One person, or even two people, searching for a shadow with no idea what direction to pick, no clue as to where he was headed? There wasn't even a slim possibility of them being successful. This was doomed to fail before she'd even left from wherever her starting point had been. "Even if you described him to me, I wouldn't know whether or not it was him if I found some random kid."

"That's probably the only good thing that could come of me asking Fairy Tail," she groused. "Gray and Loke saw him the day they took me from Phantom. And if there was something of his still in my apartment, I could even hire Natsu to help me find him."

Laxus brows drew together in confusion. "Why's that? Why Natsu?"

She frowned up at him. "You must not know much about Dragon Slayers," she said. "They've got noses like bloodhounds. Better than bloodhounds. Just one whiff of something that belonged to Ryos, and Natsu would be able to pick it out of a crowd in an instant, if he was focused enough."

"How would you know any of that?" he asked. He wasn't aware that she was so familiar with Dragon Slayer abilities.

A bitter laugh escaped her while she glared at the ground again. It gave him the opportunity to see the way her fingers brushed across her navel, fiddling with a little bit of metal that was mostly hidden by her tube top. "Phantom had one. They called him… Black Steel."

The words came out so rough in comparison that Laxus wondered if she was on the verge of coughing. It was almost as though they had been stuck in her throat, and she'd had to pry them out with every bit of strength she possessed. But he knew that name. And he'd fought against Gajeel during Fantasia. Except Gajeel kept to himself in the guild. He didn't talk to anyone the few times Laxus had seen him there. How would she have known about what the Iron Dragon Slayer was capable of, or that it applied to all Dragon Slayers?

He caught the way she crossed her arms over her stomach, how her head lowered just a fraction of an inch.

"I know it's impossible," she finally said. "There's no way I'll ever be able to find my brother, but I…" He frowned when he heard her take a shaky breath. "I can't give up. I made him a promise, that I'd go handle things with my father, and then I'd come find him."

"Sometimes you can't keep a promise, Blondie," Laxus muttered.

"That's not how I work," she said. "A Celestial mage  _never_  breaks a promise."

He winced when he heard the conviction suddenly strengthening her voice. A long-forgotten memory speared through his head with such startling clarity that he almost turned to see if Freed was standing right beside him.

" _Laxus, did you know there are certain types of magic that hinge upon a mage's character? Take mine, for instance. I must always abide by the rules set within my runes. Now, I can write those rules in my favor, of course, but should I make an error in writing those rules, I will be bound by them as well for the duration of the spell while within its range. I could make the choice to ignore those rules, but the consequences for such disregard of the crux of my magic would be catastrophic."_

" _Catastrophic, how?"_

" _At best, I would be injured by a backlash of power. It could incapacitate me for days, or even weeks. But there are other magics in existence that would cause the user to lose their ability to pull in ethernano altogether for something as simple as breaking a promise, even if the promise had nothing to do with their magic at all."_

God, he remembered that day so clearly now. It had been just a few years ago, when they'd been sent out to find a Celestial mage from Blue Pegasus who had disappeared. The job had come from Master Bob himself, and he'd specifically requested the Raijinshuu to complete it. They'd found out that the woman whose name he could no longer remember had been killed, and her keys had been stolen.

It wasn't until they'd returned to Blue Pegasus with the news, and her body, that Master Bob had told them the type of woman she'd been. And on the journey back to Magnolia, Freed had said that. He hadn't said anything about Celestial mages, specifically, but hearing Lucy and her determination in never breaking a promise… Laxus wondered if that was really the case.

That would mean that any promise she made wasn't made lightly. She would never be able to tell an insecure lover,  _I promise I'll always love you_. There was no way to guarantee something like that, after all.

"I promised that I'd come for him," she said again. "I promised Ryos that we would always find each other. He's too young to be on his own."

"Then why is he?" He fully expected the glare she sent his way, but he hadn't expected to see her eyes glistening with tears. Shouldn't his Slayer magic have allowed him to smell her tears before seeing them? He knew his senses were more acute than they'd been before his father forced the lacrima into his skull, so why hadn't he smelled the salt in her tears?

"Because I trusted the wrong people," she said. "He was supposed to stay with… Gajeel…"

Laxus didn't react outwardly, but that tidbit of knowledge was definitely like an ice bucket to the testicles. He didn't miss the way she hesitated to even say the Iron Slayer's name. She'd done that before with his nickname, as well. Which could only mean there some some sort of history with her and Gajeel. He just didn't know whether it was because they'd been in the same guild, or if it was something more.

"But I saw Gajeel, and Ryos wasn't with him," she continued. "I took him in, took care of him… He was skin and bones when we met. And now he's all alone again, and I just… I have to-"

"Say no more," he said, pushing off the wall they'd been leaning against. He took a deep breath, then regretted it when he smelled a rancid trash bin at the far end of the alley.

"Huh?"

He smirked down at her then. "I came all this way when you called me, asking for help," he said softly. "I don't know how, but I'll do what I can to make sure you keep that promise."

"Why?" she asked suddenly. When he didn't answer, instead choosing to start walking back out of the alley, she followed him. Lucy's fingers wrapped around his wrist with a surprising amount of strength before he could get too far, and he stopped to look at her out of the corner of his eye.

There was a surprising amount of fire in her gaze. A fierceness he hadn't seen the entire time they'd been talking. He knew that Lucy could be vicious with her words, and she'd stood her ground against him a few times already. She didn't seem like a pushover, but this was different.

"Why do you want to help me so much?" she asked. "What do you want in return? We never talked about that."

"Who said I want anything in return?"

Her grip tightened on his wrist. "That's how the world works, Laxus," she hissed. "You do something, you expect payment. So what's your price for helping me?"

He shook off her hand and chuckled quietly to himself. "Man, I guess Phantom Lord really was a shitty place."

"I know."

"So, are you saying that you've never done something for someone else, just because you could?" Her mouth opened and closed for a moment, the shock at his question written clear as day across her features. "I'm guessing you have. Probably for the kid you keep calling your brother."

Lucy shuffled back a step, her gaze hardening. "You don't know a thing about me and Ryos," she said. "If you want money, then-"

"I don't want your money."

"Then what?" Her lips pursed in thought. "You don't want me to… sleep with you, do you?"

He blinked in surprise. "What?"

"When the Fairies had me and they called you, you looked at me and said you wanted me to be 'your woman'..."

"Oh…" Laxus looked away from her and toward the mouth of the alley that was only a few feet away, shoving his hands in his pockets. He'd actually forgotten all about saying that. "No, I don't want that."

"So how can I pay you back for helping me find him?"

"You really won't let this go?"

"No," she said firmly.

He sighed and tipped his head back to look up at the clear sky above them. There wasn't a single cloud up there to obscure the wide expanse of bright blue beauty of nature. No storms were coming their way for quite some time, which was a bit of a bonus. While he liked the snack a lightning storm afforded him, he was getting a little tired of walking around with soggy fucking shoes.

But the blonde beside him was waiting for an answer. He hadn't really considered her being so adamant about repaying him for this favor. It wasn't like he had any real direction to go those days. He was living life as it came, wandering around with no real purpose aside from staying away from the only home he'd ever had.

Maybe he just didn't need her to pay him back at all. She was the one doing  _him_  a favor. This quest of hers was giving him a purpose for the time being. He was going to help her, and maybe along the way he could figure out where the hell he'd gone wrong before. Past the mistakes he'd made. He still didn't know what it was that made him so fucking angry with life in his guild to begin with, and that just wasn't acceptable.

Laxus closed his eyes. She was still waiting, a little impatiently if the way she shifted her weight from one leg to the other was any indication. How could she repay him when he didn't want her to do anything for him to begin with?

In all honesty, the only reason he'd offered to keep an eye out for the kid was because he'd heard how desperate she was to find Ryos while she'd been questioning that barkeep. And what she'd said to him before Fantasia had stuck with him.

" _It's pretty shitty of one of you Fairies to rub it in my face that I lost my family that day… Thanks for adding salt to my wounds, you egotistical ass."_

Here this girl was, looking for a kid - a sickly kid from what she'd said - trying to keep the only family she really had together. He'd just lost his own family, so maybe… Maybe if he helped to reunite them, that could be payment enough.

But Laxus already knew that she wouldn't take that as an answer. He needed to think of something.

Damnit, Freed was the one who could make shit up on the fly like this.

"As payment," he said slowly, "I'll take…" He was drawing a blank on this one. "A raincheck."

"Seriously?" she deadpanned.

Laxus shrugged and smirked down at her. "I didn't think you'd wanna negotiate details," he admitted. "Lemme think about it."

"Fine," she huffed.

"Now, I don't know about you, but I haven't slept in a bed for about a month," he said, walking out of the alley with her quick footsteps falling beside him.

"It's the middle of the day."

"I know," he said. "I need a shower, some real food, and then we can brainstorm where to head next. But I'm not leaving town until tomorrow."

"Fine," she muttered. She didn't really sound all that reluctant to stay in town, he noticed. More than likely, she'd been out in the wilderness for a while as well so she was probably just a relieved to be able to rent a motel room for a night and get some halfway decent sleep.

Laxus wasn't sure about her, but he couldn't sleep all that well out in the woods. Especially not when he was alone, and his team wasn't scattered around the clearing nearby.

He hadn't realized just how much he relied on them - even for simple things like companionship on a long, lonely mission out in the middle of nowhere - until he didn't have Bickslow's bright smile and the trilling of his babies' souls as they whirled around the fire, or the sharp smell of Evergreen's nail polish and the incessant  _shka-shka-shka_  of her nail file, or watching Freed quietly counting the strokes as he brushed each of the three sections he separated his hair into exactly 150 times.

And now that all of those little things were gone, and Laxus was left spending every single day and night on his own, he knew for a fact that he'd taken it all for granted.

That was the payment, he decided secretly as he and Lucy walked down the street. He didn't need a raincheck. She could give him someone to talk to, to just spend some time with so he wasn't so fucking  _alone_  all the time. And in return for making him feel a little less isolated, Laxus would pour every resource he had into finding the little boy she was looking for.


	28. Arc 2: Beware of Snakes in the Grass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized that we haven't had any of Gajeel's perspective for a few chapters, so I'm making a conscious effort to get his scenes written and inserted where they're needed. I hope you all enjoy!

 

Raucous laughter assaulted Gajeel's overly sensitive ears as he walked into the Raven Tail guild. He shifted slightly, making sure the cloak draped over his left shoulder was still obscuring his Fairy Tail guild mark. The building was dreary in comparison to the legitimate light guild he'd joined, but this was a mission from Makarov.

He couldn't fuck this up.

Even though it had been two weeks since he'd come to this place and found Master Makarov's piece of shit son in control of this dark guild, Gajeel knew he hadn't gained Ivan's trust. He had to do something to prove that he was loyal to Raven Tail.

If only he could figure out just what that was. What would make the deranged shitbox believe that he wanted to be there?

What would he have done as Black Steel?

Until recently, Gajeel had done what he'd pleased, when he'd damn well felt like it - aside from jumping to heel when Jose ordered him to. And in the few short weeks since joining Fairy Tail, that had somehow gone by the wayside. Already, he felt less like the monster he'd been in Phantom.

He couldn't let this chance slip out of his grasp.

"Did you hear?" one guild member muttered as Gajeel walked past. "The Black Widow from Phantom's been spotted."

"No shit? Man, I thought she died in that battle with Fairy Tail."

"Bitch disappeared off the map."

"Think we should ask  _him_  about it?"

Gajeel sneered and set his attention on the gossipy little fucks off to his left. His steps slowed, then he adjusted course and towered over their table. "Go ahead," he growled. "Ask me and see what happens."

He took immense amounts of joy in the way they collectively trembled. Ah, he remembered this feeling. This fear that hung thick in the air from his presence. It was something he'd once reveled in, because he'd wanted to be left alone. And now… Now that he'd had a taste of someone actually giving a fuck about him… It hurt. It made his hands clench into fists and his teeth grind together.

"W-Well, we just… We figured… She'd be a good person to have in the guild. Strong, right?" a scrawny teen whimpered.

"And what makes you say that?" he sneered.

Another person at the table cleared their throat, and Gajeel turned to find a vaguely familiar face. Why was this bald guy's dark skin and purple sunglasses so familiar? "She was a Phantom," he said, smirking at Gajeel. "Our old guild was strong. Didn't matter how many times that Black Widow came back all beat up and bloody, she still finished the job. Every time."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed. "You were a Phantom?" he asked.

"Yeah," the man chuckled. "You probably wouldn't remember me. Boze. Me and Sue worked together."

"Who?" Gajeel didn't know anyone's names in the guild aside from Lucy, Ryos, the Master, and the Element 4. No one else mattered.

Boze waved in the general direction of the bar at the far end of the main hall, toward a short woman who was picking up a couple beers. Gajeel couldn't get enough of how this place was nearly identical in layout to Fairy Tail. Ivan was a real piece of fucking work.

"Master Jose had said that the two of us were supposed to work with you to get her back when the Fairies took her. But then you went rogue."

Gajeel's fist slammed down on the table, sending a long crack running through the wood. "Bullshit would I go rogue for that uppity cunt!" he roared. Yeah, that was more like it. That was what everyone in Phantom was used to. "I followed orders. He told me to get her, so I did."

"That's not what we heard," Boze chuckled. "I get it, man. Sweet piece of ass. I'd have gladly gone after her myself if I wasn't scared she'd rip my dick off and beat me to death with it."

"B-Boze, man, shut up," the first mage muttered. He screeched when Gajeel reached past him and grabbed Boze by the collar, dragging him from his seat.

"Yer pretty damn talkative," he snarled. "Did you forget who the  _fuck_  I am?"

Boze's eyes widened. He trembled in Gajeel's grasp. "N-No!" he yelped. "Black Steel Gajeel, right? W-We're lucky to have you here!"

This could work in his favor, if he played his cards right. Part of Gajeel's problem was that he hadn't proven himself. Ivan had accepted him into the guild - he was so fucking glad that they didn't have a guild mark just yet. He would've had to figure out a way to replace his Fairy Tail mark with the one for Raven Tail. He'd shown his true colors at Phantom Lord by proving his strength.

Maybe if he did the same thing here, beat someone into the ground and showed that he didn't take shit from anyone, then Ivan would trust him.

With a wicked grin, Gajeel shifted his free hand into an iron club, then punched Boze right in his terrified little face. Twice. Just for good measure. There was a loud crunch of the purple lenses shattering against his skull, but it was worth it when he heard a girl gasp and run toward them. Gajeel's head turned, and he found a mildly familiar woman looking back at him. He could have sworn he'd seen her skulking around the Phantom Lord guild hall once or twice, but her little purple hat with the guild's symbol was gone.

"Boze," she whimpered.

"Ah, good. Drinks are here," Gajeel laughed, watching as she went rigid and looked into his eyes. She froze. He could nearly hear her muscles tensing for her to run, but she was too scared. This was good. These two remembered him from Phantom. They could help everyone else believe that Black Steel Gajeel was really there. He carried Boze's limp body over to her, then snatched a mug from her hand and guzzled the bitter beer. Once finished, Gajeel set the mug on a nearby table, and dropped Boze to the ground.

He leaned down so his lips were inches from her face. His smile was wicked. Wild. Just for good measure, he coated his teeth in gleaming iron.

"Better get yer friend to a doctor," he hissed. "He might go blind."

She squeaked and nodded quickly. "Y-Yes, sir!"

Gajeel stood to his full height and shouldered past her, stepping over Boze's prone form and knocking her off balance. He made his way to the bar, sitting down at a stool and glaring at the bald, scruffy-bearded bartender. "I don't know what yer fuckin' name is, but you'd better get me some metal. Now."

"Y-Yes, sir! We've got some really good scrap metal in the back, sir! And i-it's Tom…"

His eyes narrowed as Tom wandered away. Odd… Had he seen that guy somewhere before, too?

* * *

The heavy knock on Lucy's motel door had her frowning while setting her book down. She and Laxus had agreed to head out at first light, and it was nearing one in the morning. Of course, she hadn't been able to sleep. Her mind was running rampant with trying to plot out their next course of action for finding Ryos. She knew that she had to trust him, at least a little bit, but it was hard.

She didn't know Laxus. Even if Loke vouched for him - mostly in regards to his raw magical power and strength - she hadn't seen for herself that he was truly trustworthy.

With a heavy sigh, she stood from her bed and walked toward the door, flipping another switch so there was actually light in her room aside from the small lamp on the nightstand. Her visitor knocked again.

"Who is it?"

"Laxus."

Well, he was direct, wasn't he? And he didn't sound amused. It wasn't intimidating in the slightest, but they were supposed to be working together. As long as he wasn't going to try creeping into her room for something other than talking about Ryos, she was alright with opening the door.

She kept the chain lock intact, peering at him through the small opening. "What?"

"I've got a contact. Wants to meet with me," Laxus said. "Thing is, he doesn't trust people he doesn't know. So if you show up-"

"You're not going without me," she said suddenly. It wasn't like she could really trust him all that much. And besides, he didn't know a thing about Ryos. If Laxus was going to try and help her find the little Dragon Slayer, then she needed to be there. She didn't want to be stuck on some wild goose chase because of bad intel.

"I'm telling you that you can't fucking go," Laxus growled.

She glared up at him and slammed the door, then unlocked the chain and threw it open again so she could give him the full picture of her anger. She took a step closer, ignoring how much taller than her he was, and roughly poked his chest. "You're only here because I asked you to be," she hissed. "Tell me what he looks like."

"My contact-"

"I mean my brother," she snapped. "What does he look like?"

His thick blond brows drew together, and she watched his jaw clench. "Sickly," he said. "Black hair, red eyes, pale. Good at hiding. That answer your question?"

Her jaw snapped shut. Fine, so he knew what Ryos looked like. Barely. "What about his name?" she countered.

"It's uh…" His frown deepened. "I dunno."

"Exactly," she said, crossing her arms under her bust. "I need to be there."

"Well, you can't," he said. "I literally came here to tell you I might have a lead, so you didn't think I was ditching you."

"I'm going," she said.

"No, the hell, you're not."

"I am."

"No."

"You can't fucking stop me!"

Laxus smirked then, and she went rigid when she saw the quick flash of electricity darting between his fingers. "Are you sure about that?" he chuckled. "I can knock you out in a flash."

This was one of those moments Gajeel had trained her for. When she was faced with someone stronger than her. There were only a few options that she had in her arsenal. His first suggestion had been to use her body to her advantage, but Lucy refused to even consider it.

Another option was to try and trick Laxus into letting his guard down, but considering he was already aware of her anger right then, she doubted it would be so easy.

She could be an absolute idiot and try to fight him. Prove her own dominance. It'd be a cold day in hell before she was able to fight someone like him and survive. Fucking lightning magic? No, thanks. Contrary to popular belief, Lucy didn't ave a death wish.

That left one thing. She hated it. It made her feel weak and useless, but if it worked on him - and she suspected, based on the guild he came from, that it just might - then she would be victorious. He wouldn't be able to tell her no. She would be able to tag along with him to see this contact. She could decide for herself whether or not she trusted this third party that Laxus was getting ready to consult.

It didn't take much work to pull it off. All she had to do was make herself cry.

And luckily, Gajeel had been thorough in his instruction, even when it came to this. Lucy glanced away from him, her shoulders hunching slightly. Her lips thinned for only a moment, and then she turned away from him, letting him only see her back. "F-Fine," she whimpered. "Just go and leave me behind."

She couldn't see whether or not it was working. She had to just hope that Laxus wasn't a heartless shit sandwich who would walk away from a crying woman. But the only way to make herself cry without biting her tongue - which would make it too obvious if she started talking funny after the fact - was to roughly wipe her eyes… without closing them. The salt on her skin burned as it slid across her eyeball. But the effect was instant.

"I just wanna help find him," she said, sniffling softly. "I'm a failure…"

"Hey," Laxus said, his voice soft. "It's not like that."

"It is," she said. Lucy sniffled again, then peeked at him over her shoulder so he could see the shine on her eyes, the moisture clumping her lashes. Once they made eye contact, she cowered a little. If she looked at him for too long, he wouldn't believe this act of hers. "I wanted to find him, but I had to ask for help. And I'm so p-pathetic that you wanna ditch me-"

"That's not it," he said, scowling as he shifted in the doorway. "The guy's paranoid. I have a better chance of getting information if he's not surprised."

"You don't have to lie to make me f-feel better," she huffed. Lucy's arms dropped to her sides and she turned away from him again. "I won't burden you." She took a single step, then smirked when Laxus' hand wrapped lightly around her wrist.

"Blondie, it's not like that," he said.

"Just go," she said, her voice small.

He sighed heavily through his nose. She could practically feel him wavering. It was a gamble on whether she should say anything more. Either he needed one more well-placed guilt trip from her and he'd cave, or she would say something and blow it.

She didn't know him well enough to decide. Did she need to add fuel to the fire? Should she stay quiet?

"Fine," Laxus said, dropping her hand. "Get ready and come along. But you'd better not fucking stand out."

"I can come?" she asked, whirling in place, her glassy eyes wide and hopeful. What a chump. "Promise?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. Lucy found the way he winced and scratched the back of his head… curious. And awkward. What the hell? "Just don't cry, alright? We'll figure it out."

She sniffled again and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Got it," she said, grinning up at him. He didn't need to know that she'd been faking it. If anything, she could use this weakness against him later on. The next time she wasn't getting her way. "I've gotta put my boots on, and I'm ready."

He blinked while raking his gaze over her blue miniskirt and black crop top. She hardly noticed it. "You're wearing that?"

"What's wrong with my clothes?" she asked, scowling while stomping into her boots.

"Not really low-key," he muttered.

Lucy grabbed her keys and hooked them onto her belt, then made sure she had her room key. "I'll follow your lead," she said.

Laxus sighed and shook his head, stepping back so she could leave the room and close the door. He turned and led her down the walkway, out into the dark street. She was definitely curious about this contact that he had, and how they could possibly even think they could help her find Ryos. But at this point, she couldn't be too picky.

* * *

The trek out of town and into the forest had Lucy on edge. She was even more alert when they came up to a dingy bar buried in the middle of the neighboring forest. There were a couple SE vehicles parked on the side of the building, with a well-worn dirt path leading up to the heavy iron door. For all the faults of the building itself - honestly, she was positive that was mold creeping up the cracked stucco - it seemed security was tight.

What the hell kind of place was this?

And why would a  _Fairy_  - no, a former Fairy - know anyone who would want to meet here?

She wasn't going to ask Laxus any questions though. She was officially not talking to him after his "surprised" comment during the trip. Had he really spent so much time with delicate little simpering women that it was surprising she wasn't complaining about the walk? No, her feet didn't hurt - her boots were worn in pretty well already. No, the heat didn't bother her - the weather was actually a little on the brisk side now that October had reared its head.

So instead, Lucy stayed silent as they walked up to the door. He didn't knock. She frowned up at him. Laxus reached out a hand and sent a jolt of electricity through the handle, smirking down at her as it creaked open an inch.

She rolled her eyes at him and motioned for him to lead the way. This was his contact. She was just there to answer questions he might not be able to. And besides, she wanted to make sure he didn't hide anything from her. There might be something he'd miss, that could help her find Ryos.

She had to be thorough.

Lucy squeezed in after him, tensing when the door slammed, bathing the entry in darkness. A glowing red exit sign hung just above their heads, but it did little to illuminate the hall.

Laxus silently reached behind himself and grabbed her arm, gently leading her forward. How he was able to see, she couldn't be sure, but he didn't bump into anything. His steps were sure and steady, and she tried to match them.

He pushed another, thinner door open, but she was only able to get the barest glimpse of soft yellow light creeping around his broad shoulders. By the time she made it through, Lucy was thankful for the smoky lounge they entered, with the jazz music serenading her from a nearby jukebox. A large area off to the left held four pool tables, with room for groups to play without jabbing one another with their pool cues. To the right was a long, polished bar, with a quiet-looking man standing behind it and polishing glasses with a white rag. Along the nearby walls were small circular tables, only two of which were occupied by lumberjack wannabes sporting scars and faces only blind baboons could love.

And far in the back, where Laxus started walking, was the VIP area. She could tell there were curtained booths just past the three-step staircase cordoned off with a plush blue velvet rope. For fuck's sake, there was even a tall man in a black suit standing right at the stairs, mean-mugging everyone.

Laxus stopped in front of him, and her head tilted with curiosity when she realized they were the same height. Now it came down to who was more intimidating.

"Name's Laxus," he said. "I'm expected."

"Boss ain't in, shortstack," the bouncer chuckled. Lucy nearly wrinkled her nose when she smelled the cigarette smoke on his breath from several feet away. "So turn ye little pretty boy self around, and get the fuck out."

"Pretty boy?" Laxus growled. He seemed to come back to his senses a moment later. Yeah, it wasn't the best idea to piss off the guy who was gatekeeping their intel. "When will he be in?"

"Dunno," the bouncer shrugged. "But you ain't on the list. Take your whore and move along."

Lucy gritted her teeth, but sidled up next to Laxus, tucking herself against his arm. Of course that was what this asshole thought of her. It was fine, though. She could work that in her favor if she had to. "C'mon," she purred, batting her lashes when Laxus stared down at her breasts pushing against his forearm. "Play pool with me? You promised."

"I've got business," he said, sneering. So he was stubborn, and he didn't know how to play along. Fantastic.

If this had been Gajeel, she knew without a doubt that he would've taken the bait - not because he would've wanted to get her laid out on the pool table, but because he understood strategy. Gajeel would've understood that they needed to back off and get a feel for the room. Laxus had been stupid to go straight for his target like this.

Lucy huffed and backed away. "No fun," she pouted. Laxus didn't even look at her, and she stormed over to the bar and sat at an empty barstool. This was her comfort zone.

Just taking a seat there reminded her of the times she'd been in the Phantom guild hall, listening to the fights break out, counting down the seconds until she needed to duck out of the way. She could keep an eye on her surroundings, and make it seem as though she was only focused on the drink in front of her.

If she could get Laxus to play along, it would work even better. She couldn't count on him. His contact wasn't even there, and if they were… they didn't want to see him.

"Drink for you, Miss?" the bartender's gentle voice rasped.

Lucy propped an elbow on the bar, then rested her chin in her hand. Her gaze slid over to him, and she noticed the little silver-plated nametag pinned to his chic black vest. "I'll have Whistlepig Manhattan up, please Bartholomew."

His eyes widened a moment, and then he smiled. "Right away, Miss." She kept an eye on him while he poured the whiskey and vermouth, gently stirred them, and garnished her drink with a little cherry. "I do hope you'll enjoy."

"Thank you," she said, a small smile on her lips. She took a sip and hummed as the liquor slid so easily down her throat. "This is fabulous."

"Do let me know if you need anything else, Miss," he said, his wrinkled cheeks flushed and his eyes glistening with pride.

Her smile stayed in place, even as she took another sip and turned to look at the bar around her. Laxus was still quietly arguing with the bouncer. Odd. She couldn't hear what they were saying, even though she was positive that she was close enough to hear them.

Maybe it was an enchantment to give the VIPs some extra privacy.

Whatever. Laxus was a failure. She was stupid to put her faith in him. Her gaze roved across the bar again. There wasn't much to look at in regards to people watching. A few small clusters of people here and there, all minding their own business.

When she reached the lumberjacks, she found them leering at her. Her lip curled in open disgust back at them.

"What's wrong, baby?" one called. "Your man ignoring you?"

"Come on over," another added with a grin. "We'll treat you real good. Long as you do the same."

"I'm all set," she said back, raising her glass. Footsteps near her had Lucy's head turning just in time to see Laxus lumbering her way, then plopping down onto the stool next to hers.

"Whisky straight," he said to the bartender. Well, he sounded pissed. "Bunch of fucking bullshit. We're supposed to be meeting tonight."

"This looks like some shady shit," she said, turning to face the bar again.

"Yeah, feels that way, too."

"I'm having a hard time picturing you participating in back-alley deals on the regular," she chuckled, sipping her drink again. Lucy glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as Bartholomew dropped off his drink and he knocked it back quickly. "Fuck, at least appreciate the booze!"

"You sound like fucking Cana," he snorted.

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't compare me to them," she spat. "Any of them."

And all at once, she didn't want to be anywhere near him. Not if he was going to compare her to those stupid fucking Fairies that had ruined her life. Loke was one thing. He understood the mistake they'd made, and he'd pulled out of the fight after giving Lucy her keys back.

But Laxus? He was still loyal to Fairy Tail. She could tell. Even though he'd been kicked out, the fondness in his voice when he'd mentioned that barrel-guzzling lush was clear.

This was pointless. She didn't need some washed up light guild piece of shit trying to help her.

No, she needed a real mage. A tracker. Someone who could find Ryos, no matter the cost. Lucy didn't care what she had to pay. She was going to find him.

She barely noticed Laxus ordering another whisky as she stood. One of the curtains obscuring a booth shifted just slightly. Anyone else would have thought it was just a bit of air conditioning rustling the fabric, but she knew better. She could tell, someone was actually there.

Gajeel had beaten his lessons on using all of her senses into her. There was definitely someone there.

She almost wished that Laxus had told her who his contact was, but it wasn't time for that anymore. She was done fucking around. The only good that had come from his presence was that he'd led her to this place. Maybe she could find someone else to really get the job done.

Lucy set her attention on the bouncer, then sauntered over to him. She ignored how Laxus called out to her, her gaze boring into the tall man's piercing green eyes. With a coy smile, she stopped a foot away.

"Don't even think about it, bimbo," he snorted. "Turn around and peddle your pussy somewhere else."

Her smile fell into a sneer when he reached out to forcefully turn her around. "Y'know, the last guy who tried to put his hands on me got his head bashed in."

"Then your man had better hurry up and save you," he said. His hand clamped down on her shoulder, squeezing in an attempt at putting her in her place. It was definitely painful, and she didn't stop herself from crying out when her shoulder nearly popped out of the socket.

"Fuck, man!" Laxus shouted. "Let her go!"

"Get your bitch and get out!" the bouncer bellowed.

Lucy grabbed her whip and lashed out at the bouncer's face, grinning when the iron spikes caught on his cheek and tore the flesh easily. His grip faltered, and that was his last mistake. She laughed while lashing out again, this time creating an angry, bleeding line across his chest. He growled and lunged for her, and Lucy dove to the side, then rolled across the floor. She came up on one knee, and lashed at his back. "Call me a bitch again!"

He turned, glaring at her and baring his teeth. "You want a fight?" he panted. "You're dead, girlie."

"Good," she said, standing up to face him. "I haven't had a good fight since Phantom disbanded."

He took a step forward, then stopped when Laxus put himself in the lumbering bouncer's path. "That's far enough," Laxus spat.

"Oh, fuck off!" Lucy bellowed. She rushed forward and shoved her way past him, not sparing his wide-eyed stare a single glance. "Don't try to white-knight me, Sparky. I'm itching for a fight."

"What the actual fuck is wrong with you?" he breathed. His eyes rounded when Lucy lashed out once more with her whip, wrapping it around the bouncer's arm and dragging him to his knees by the pool table. She laughed. She fucking  _cackled_  while cracking him over the head with an 8-ball.

His head turned toward the sound of shuffling fabric to his right, and his eyes narrowed when he saw their contact sitting in a booth, grinning as he watched Lucy beat the bouncer half to death. She could apparently handle herself. He had information to get, so he stepped past the velvet rope and up the stairs.

"Get off me, you psycho!" The bouncer grunted as he finally got a hand around Lucy's throat. He lifted her into the air, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Before she could use her whip again, he grabbed that hand and twisted until her arm nearly broke, forcing her to drop the weapon. "You're gonna pay for this."

"I don't pay for pleasure," she coughed. "That's your job." Her legs kicked at his stomach, his thighs, but it was useless. He didn't seem affected by it at all.

When he punched her in the face, she felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. For the first time in weeks, she felt… alive. Ready to tear the world down around her. He hit her again, and she smiled. She relished the agony streaking through her cheek as his knuckles connected. The sudden flash of pain as her lower lip split.

Lucy laughed.

Was this what she needed all along to fill the emptiness in her? For someone to fight her with everything they had, the way Gajeel had beaten her? The way Cana had fought back against her? The way Gray and Loke had tried to take her down?

This was it! The empty, blackness in her heart disappeared with every staggered breath she sucked in. The bouncer slammed her back onto the top of a pool table, knocking the wind from her lungs. He hovered over her, and Lucy was more focused on bringing in oxygen than the fact that her skirt had ridden up, and everyone in the bar could see her bright purple thong.

"And now, you're dead."

She smiled up at him while her hands gripped his wrist. She knew how to make him stop. Gajeel had taught her. But did she want him to stop?

This ache in her chest was gone. The lonely nights of missing Ryos, of missing her Dragon were pushed deep down in her soul while she fought. But she couldn't die here.

She'd made a promise. Ryos wouldn't be alone. She had to find him.

Lucy's hand shifted to the necklace, her fingers wrapping around the metal-coated tooth she still wore. She yanked on the chain, breaking the clasp, and rammed the tooth right into the bouncer's forehead. Right between his quickly dulling green eyes.

If she'd thought it through a little more, Lucy probably would have done it in a way that wouldn't have left his heavy body crumpling on top of her, pinning her to the green felt tabletop. She grunted, kicked fruitlessly, and tried to push him off of her to no avail.

"Fuck it," she huffed, sucking in much-needed air even with his bulk pressing down on her chest. "I need a break."

* * *

His crimson eyes were wide as he watched the scene unfold. She was still so strong. So beautiful as her whip danced through the air.

Ryos wasn't sure who that guy was with her, but he'd seen her come in with the man from his hiding spot in the bouncer's shadow. She looked so tired, though.

God, he hoped she was sleeping okay.

It hurt more than he could have imagined, not jumping out to help her when she needed it.

Why didn't she fight back when the bouncer hit her? Why did she laugh like that?

It reminded him so much of the way she'd been at the guild, though. Just a little crazy. But he knew Lucy. She wasn't like that deep inside. That was the face she showed to the world so they couldn't get too close. She couldn't be hurt if everyone was too afraid to come close.

He understood that.

Ryos nearly lost his mind when she was pinned to the pool table, but just as he was about to jump out from the shadows and kill the bouncer himself, the tooth necklace Lucy always wore was suddenly embedded in the man's skull.

Ryos smiled a secret smile as he heard her panting. He slithered through the shadows and up into the corner above her while she tried in vain to push the corpse off her body. She was so silly, sometimes.

" _She's here, Ryos. Go to her,"_  his dragon whispered.

He didn't need to shake his head to respond. He couldn't be with her yet. He needed to get stronger. Ryos loved her, but he needed to be strong enough to protect her, to avenge her pain. He had to be able to find Gajeel and beat him.

No, he couldn't do what he wanted. He couldn't hug her and curl up in her tender embrace like he wanted to. They couldn't have everything she'd promised him.

There was no time for baking cakes and reading stories together. No missions and learning to fight from her out in the mountains. He didn't have a moment to waste to learn about the stars. He couldn't think about never being alone again, or how they were going to get a bigger place so he could have his own room.

He would never forget her promises. It just wasn't time to fulfill them yet. One day, they'd have it all, but not that day.

Still, as she lay panting on the pool table, he slid down the wall and materialized only after he saw that her eyes were closed while she regrouped. Ryos glanced around and nearly jumped when he saw some burly men in red plaid shirts and jeans staring at him in awe. He had to ignore their stares though.

He grabbed onto the bouncer's waist, barely able to make his fingers meet, then dragged the body away from Lucy. He wasn't nearly strong enough to hold the body up, so he dropped it to the ground. She smiled and turned toward him, her eyes barely sliding open.

He gasped. No! She couldn't see him yet! He wasn't strong enough!

"Ryos?" she breathed.

Her brows furrowed and she blinked to clear her vision, and in that time, he melded with the shadows under the jukebox, then darted along the floor, under the thin door leading to the dark hallway. And finally, outside to freedom.

As he sped south away from the bar, Ryos remembered her final promise to him.

" _I promise, Ryos… We'll always find each other."_

He knew it was true. No matter what, they would find each other again. And next time, he would be stronger, someone she could be proud to call her brother.

* * *

Lucy's head swam as she sat up on the pool table. She could've sworn that she saw Ryos there a moment ago. But when she'd blinked, the vague silhouette that had been next to her was gone.

Fuck, was she so sleep deprived by that point that she was hallucinating?

With a heavy sigh, she hopped off the table and placed a foot on the dead bouncer's head, then ripped the tooth from his skull. Lucy cringed. "Gross, dude," she muttered, bending down to wipe his blood off with his own jacket.

She inspected the chain, frowning when she noticed that the clasp hadn't actually broken. Lucy had never really looked at the clasp before, but it separated on its own. And when she brought the ends together, they re-attached themselves with a seamless link. Almost as though there was no clasp in the first place.

She put the chain over her head, tucking it back into her shirt, then stumbled over to the bar. Her drink was gone. She couldn't be sure where it had disappeared to between her walking over to the bouncer and his corpse sliding off of her. But she needed another.

Badly.

"Bartholomew," she said, roughly clearing her throat. "Could I please-"

"Whistlepig Manhattan up," the older man chuckled, sliding a glass across the bar toward her. "I added an extra cherry for you, since the last one was ruined."

"I'm sorry," she said, giving him a sheepish smile as she sipped at her drink. "You made it so well, too."

He waved a wrinkled, liver-spotted hand and scoffed. "I'll gladly trade it for watching a good fight," he laughed. "You're one vicious young lady."

"Well, I guess they call me the Black Widow for a reason," she giggled. The nickname was stupid. She definitely wasn't a black widow in any sense of the word - aside from being deadly in general, she supposed - but it was a name that somehow stuck in the time since Phantom Lord had been disbanded. She wasn't sure how it had spread, but everyone who heard it knew that it was her. Lucy, formerly of the barely-light guild Phantom Lord.

"Fuck that!" one of the lumberjacks who'd been catcalling her earlier shouted. "Barty put this on my tab. I'm not trying to die tonight!"

Lucy snorted into her glass and sipped her drink.

"Blondie, get over here!" Laxus called out.

Her brows drew together as she turned toward his voice. Laxus leaned out of one of the curtains that had been partially opened, lazily waving her over to him. Bartholomew tapped her arm, and Lucy turned back to find his hand outstretched, holding a warm, damp cloth. "To clean up, dear," he said, smiling at her.

"Thank you," she sighed, returning his smile while taking the offered cloth. Lucy carried her drink up the stairs and made her way to the opened curtain. She leaned down slightly to see Laxus had taken a seat in a plush booth that had enough room to comfortably hold his bulky frame, and still leave space for another person.

"Have a seat," Laxus said. "He wants to talk to you."

She took a steadying breath, then sat down in the booth beside Laxus. Lucy pulled the curtain closed again and started wiping away the blood on her face. She winced while lightly touching her eye.

That sucked. It was going to be a swollen mess come morning.

"I've gotta say," came the low, teasing voice from in front of her, "That was one hell of a fight."

"Thanks," she said. She scrunched her nose, sighing in relief when she pinched the bridge and didn't feel any pain.

"The stories are true, then. That piddly shit guild taught you a thing or two."

"Something like that," she said.

"Laxus here says you're looking for someone," he continued. Lucy nodded and blew her nose, then took a sip of her drink. She closed her eyes as the alcohol sent a soothing wave of heat washing over her body.

"My brother," she nodded, looking down at the glass again. If she had to go out and hire a dark guild to find him, she would. She didn't care if she brought in the whole Balam Alliance, as long as she could have her little Ryos back.

"With a good enough description, I can lead you right to him," he said.

She let out a heavy breath and set the cloth down on the rich oak table, then looked at the man across from them. He had to be full of shit. Her eyes widened when she realized it was a boy. Someone who couldn't have been any older than sixteen, with dark caramel skin, a cocky smirk planted on his thin lips, and hair as dark as blood that offset his indigo eyes.

Fuck. Not him. She'd had a run-in with him only once before in passing while she was on a mission. And once she'd found out who he was, Lucy knew she never wanted to deal with him again. The things she'd heard about him… Not even Jose was that twisted.

He laced his fingers on top of the table, leaning closer as his smile widened. "Sadly, I'm a little busy at the moment, so I don't have time to go prancing around Fiore on a whim."

Laxus scowled at him. "You guaranteed you could help."

"Absolutely," he chuckled, his heavy gaze never leaving Lucy's suddenly terrified eyes. "I can't take you to him, but I know where your brother is."

"Where?" she breathed.

"It'll cost you," he said.

"I don't care what it costs," she said quickly. "However much you want, I'll pay."

His eyes closed for a moment and he took a deep breath. Lucy and Laxus sat in silence, watching him, and then his eyes opened and flashed with intrigue. "Trade me your keys," he finally said.

"No." She didn't even have to think about it. She would  _never_  part with her friends. Not even if it meant she could find Ryos faster. "Anything but that."

"Lucy-" Laxus began, but his jaw snapped shut when the mage across from them chuckled.

"I figured as much. Tell you what. I'm feeling…" His smirk widened slightly, baring pointed canines that had Lucy's blood running cold. "Generous. I'll give you the information for free."

Her eyes narrowed. "Nothing's free," she spat.

"You're in luck," he said, shrugging as he leaned back in his seat. "This is a one-time offer. I'll tell you where Ryos is, and you don't pay me a thing."

She wanted to mull it over. This offer was too good to be true. Still… if it meant she could find her brother, she had to take a chance. Before she could agree, he grinned.

"Head north toward Worth Woodsea," he said. "There's a little guild out there called Cait Shelter. Two miles west, near a little brook, there's cave that overlooks the whole area. You'll find him there."

Lucy nodded, memorizing his instructions. "And he's alright?" she asked.

"He's healthy, and safe," he said, nodding. "The boy's been training. I'm sure you'll be surprised by how much his magic has improved."

She tipped her glass up to her lips and drank the last of the amber liquid. "Thank you," she said quickly. She had a direction. She knew where to go now. She could finally find Ryos, and they could start their new lives together. She stood, pausing when a tanned hand snapped out and grabbed her wrist. Lucy looked back at him, a chill running through her when his calloused fingers slid down to caress her hand.

"Stay," he said, and his tone gave no room for argument. "Have some drinks and enjoy yourself. He'll still be there in the morning."

With a shaky nod, Lucy sat down in the booth. She didn't let on how relieved she was when he let go of her hand.

As a round of drinks was delivered to the booth without anyone ordering them, she gave Bartholomew a kind smile. But it was while she and Laxus drank with their informant that a dreadful feeling wriggled its way into her chest.

Maybe Laxus didn't know just who this was… Maybe… Maybe he wasn't aware that the mage sitting across from them was one of the six Demon Generals, and part of one of the three major dark guilds in Fiore that made up the Balam Alliance.

But if Laxus did know, then  _why_  was he so chummy with Cobra of the Oracion Seis?

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously, there will be some changes to the canon story, like where she gets certain keys and all that, along with her being slightly OoC (hello, confident and snarky Lucy) but I hope you enjoy it regardless!
> 
> I've marked the chapters that have direct manga/anime quotes and references in them.


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